Donald Trump's Controversial German Magazine Cover Draws Flake

An image on the cover of German Magazine "Der Spiegel" has fueled huge controversy. The piece of art shows newly elected U.S President Donald Trump holding the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty in one hand and a bloody knife in the other. The cover art has emerged in the latest issue of Der Spiegel.

According to Artnet News, the man behind the Trump-art is Edel Rodriguez. A political refugee who fled Cuba in the 1980's during Fidel Castro's regime, Rodriguez came to America at the age of nine and settled there. As per him, the art depicts the harm that has been done by Donald Trump's autocratic immigration policies. "I think that he's destroyed the world's idea of what American democracy is about and that was what I was trying to convey in the image" said Rodriguez about the art.

The contentious piece of art has attracted a lot of criticism. Irrespective of Donald Trump's current reputation, both politicians and rival media companies have come out with their reactions regarding the art. Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a member of Germany's Free Democrats (FDP) and vice-president of the European parliament has slammed the cover as "Tasteless". German daily Die Welt has also termed it damaging for journalism.

According to Fox News, Donald Trump has been branded as an ISIS executioner in the art. Just like ISIS, his extremist decisions have seen immigrants from seven Muslim countries restricted to enter the US. "Both sides are extremists, so I'm just making a comparison between them", said Rodriguez in an interview. There is also a cover story about the Trump administration and Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist.

Certain sources are of the opinion that the art might be an indication towards the fast decaying diplomatic relations between America and Germany. Last month in a statement, Trump said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open door migration policy is a ruinous decision. Just a few days ago, Trump's top trade advisor Peter Navarro termed the euro as "grossly unvalued" and that Germany had been using it as a device to gain an upper hand over the United States and its European allies. Nobody from the US embassy in Berlin though commented about the matter.

According to Klaus Brickbaumer, Der Spiegel's editor in chief, the Trump cover is a protest against the increasing oppression that is being made by the Trump Administration against the freedom of press. It is a protest against the injustice to the democratic people of the world.

TagsDonald Trump, President-elect, Der Spiegel, germany, Magazine