Did a real TIME magazine cover depict Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney giving the finger, alongside the words "Hey, Donald"? No, that's not true: That design did not appear on a list of magazine covers from 2025. A Canadian-flag ring could be seen on Carney's raised middle finger in the fake artwork.
The magazine cover was presented as real in an April 30, 2025, post on X (archived here). This is what it looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot)
The imagery, the text and the entire cover were all the result of digital fabrication.
On its website, TIME hosts a regularly-updated repository of magazine covers. As of May 1, the list for 2025 showed seven issues, the most recent dated April 28. The list did not include the "Hey, Donald" design:
(Source: TIME.com screenshot)
Carney was elected Liberal Party leader in March 2025, succeeding outgoing leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau. The Liberals went on to win the most seats in parliament in the April 28 general election, which played out in part against a backdrop of U.S. tariffs and President Donald Trump's expansionist rhetoric around Canada.
Read more
For previous Lead Stories fact checks about Mark Carney, click here.
