The cover of the upcoming issue of The New Yorker features an image of Donald Trump standing nude as he answers questions from a gaggle of reporters with their hands in the air. A judiciously placed lectern covers a crucial part of the president's anatomy as he points to a member of the press.
The image, titled "Exposed," — is the 15th of the president that artist Barry Blitt has created for the magazine's cover. He refers to Trump as the "gift that keeps on grifting."
Blitt explains to The New Yorker: "I wanted to address President Trump's stormy relationship with the press." The magazine adds helpfully, for those wondering, that adult film star Stormy Daniels has boasted: "I can definitely describe his junk perfectly."
Besides the obvious stormy issues, it's not clear what else Blitt may have been considering when he presented the president in the buff for the issue dated March 26. Perhaps the artist is indicating that Trump is being exposed by the press — or unveiling him as an emperor with no clothes. The magazine's brief story on the art notes Bob Dylan's lyrics in his song "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" that "even the president of the United States must sometimes have to stand naked."
Response to the cover on social media was mixed. Lots of readers loved it, declaring it brilliant. Many mentioned an emperor with no clothes. Some quipped that it was off the mark because the president very rarely has press conferences.
Others were outraged, calling it disrespectful and unacceptable body- and fat-shaming. But one comment noted that Trump is the "biggest fat shamer on earth," referring to his controversial comments referring to women as "fat," slobs and "Miss Piggy."
Check out some of Blitt's presidential art that didn't make the magazine here.