Donald Trump wasn’t happy when he lost the coveted TIME Magazine “Person of the Year” cover to Germany’s Angela Merkel. Trump was even less pleased when the magazine released video of him being attacked by Uncle Sam the bald eagle in response to his ungracious tweets about his runner-up status. Fortunately for Donald Trump , MAD Magazine announced on December 1 that the GOP Primary front-runner had landed a different, arguably equally prestigious cover spot and award instead. The Donald had been chosen as the cover model for the satirical magazine’s 2015 “MAD 20” issue, which was released on December 15.
“If you’re sick of seeing Donald Trump everywhere you turn these days, then we’ve got some terrible news for you!”
The “MAD 20” issue of MAD Magazine includes an homage to the 20 dumbest “people, events and things” of the year, reports the Huffington Post . Of the many potential “things” to make the final cut, Donald Trump was granted the honor of gracing the magazine’s cover.
The magazine went on to ad on their Facebook page, in reference to the “MAD 20” issue: “As Trump would say, it’s going to be TREMENDOUS!”
This isn’t the first time MAD has poked fun at Donald Trump, nor will it likely be the last. Following Donald Trump’s controversial stance on Muslims in the United States, the long-running periodical posted a picture of the changes they envision Trump making to Lady Liberty. Not surprisingly, the imagined modifications to the iconic symbol of freedom, opportunity, diversity, and tolerance are less than palatable to those with more discerning taste.
Trump’s Proposed Change to the Statue of Liberty https://t.co/g54d654N6e pic.twitter.com/b9uM3ob4pu
— MAD Magazine (@MADmagazine) December 8, 2015
While Donald Trump was honored by his visage gracing the cover of the December 15 issue of MAD Magazine, right next to Alfred E. Neuman himself, the reality TV star with lofty political aspirations was far from the only person, event or thing to receive end-of-year “dumbest” consideration from MAD. Robert Durst also made the list, reports The Wrap . So did the uber-notorious Rowan County, Kentucky clerk Kim Davis. If you don’t remember, Davis made national headlines for months for her refusal to heed the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling. She ultimately did a stint in jail for her discriminatory work ethic. Unlike Donald Trump, she even got a private meeting with the Pope. Advocate reports that she made the “dumbest” list, and that the magazine even spent some considerable time and effort to mock her extensively. Perhaps not as much time as was spent on The Donald , but enough.
Unlike Donald Trump, who was granted the unalienable honor of a cover spot, Kim Davis was recreated into an “American Girl” doll parody. Called Kim the “All-American Girl,” she’s decked out with more bling than Trump was treated to on his magazine cover, including a “court orders and Supreme Court decisions to ignore, plus a darling miniature Bible, severely abridged to only contain those verses which Kim finds convenient to obey.”
While it might seem like MADis “picking on” conservatives in general and Donald Trump in particular, the truth of the matter is that the satirical publication is an equal opportunity periodical. In the past, virtually no subject or public figure has been considered off-limits to the writers and editorial staff. Amid a plethora of posts poking fun at Trump and Davis, the magazine will unload on President Obama and anyone else who strikes its fancy.
Obama’s speech “was inspiring to ISIS and other terrorists around the world”. WTF, Mad Magazine? https://t.co/FSp3Qm7XbZ
— Greg (@waltisfrozen) December 7, 2015
Prior to the December mockery of the President, MAD unleashed a satirically scathing blog post featuring President Obama’s “deleted tweets.”
President Obama’s Deleted Tweets http://t.co/bpRMJXuyXI pic.twitter.com/BKcc83hiTY
— MAD Magazine (@MADmagazine) May 19, 2015
So, despite getting some flack for seeming to point the finger at social conservatives like Donald Trump and Kim Davis, it appears that MAD Magazine definitely doesn’t limit its mockery to one political group or another. Rather, they tend to aim for the easiest, most obvious target for their sarcastic lampoonery. Like Donald Trump.
Over the decades, MAD has made a name for itself as a decidedly un-PC publication. The New York Times reports that Donald Trump had some caustic words regarding political correctness himself.
“I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct. I’ve been challenged by so many people and I don’t, frankly, have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn’t have time, either.”
It looks like MAD isn’t worried about political correctness either. Maybe the “MAD 20” issue will get the Trump seal of approval? Maybe not. But Donald Trump hasn’t threatened to force MAD Magazine employees carry special ID’s or register in a national database, so that’s something.
[Image Courtesy of John Moore/Getty Images]