A provocative magazine cover from Slovenia, the birthplace of First Lady Melania Trump, has drawn widespread attention for portraying President Donald Trump with crude oil dripping from beneath his nose to form a mustache resembling that of Adolf Hitler. The image, featured on the January 9, 2026, edition of Objektiv, a weekly magazine-style supplement published by the Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik, accompanies the subhead “American Attack on Venezuela.”
The cover was designed by Tomato Košir, a Slovenian designer and visual communicator whose work has appeared in international outlets including The Guardian and Politico. Košir shared the cover on his Instagram account, where it quickly gained traction on social media.
Background of the Cover Design
Košir explained that the artwork was directly inspired by four articles in the latest issue of Objektiv. These pieces argue that the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, was motivated not by concerns for democracy but by access to the country’s vast oil reserves. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
“The cover was created on the basis of four articles published in Dnevnik’s Objektiv, all sharing the same premise: this is not about democracy; it is about oil,” Košir told Newsweek.
He emphasized the power of visual communication, noting that “visual language can communicate up to 30,000 times faster than the written word.” The design uses crude oil to symbolize the alleged primary driver behind the intervention: control over Venezuela’s oil industry. Košir clarified that the cover does not endorse Maduro or his regime, which faced significant criticism for economic mismanagement and human rights issues prior to his removal. Instead, it focuses on the motive of oil and profit.
Košir further stated that repairing Venezuela’s dilapidated oil infrastructure could require investments of a few billion dollars but potentially yield profits exceeding $15 trillion for the United States.
Košir’s Response to Criticism and Historical Parallels
In response to potential backlash from Trump supporters who reject comparisons between the president and Hitler, Košir referenced recent global events. He described the U.S. action in Venezuela, alongside Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as evidence that colonialism remains relevant today.
“Trump revived the imperialist foundations of the American-European political tradition,” Košir said. He added that Trump bypassed Congress in an autocratic manner while unifying a ruling oligarchy, and issued warnings about potential similar actions toward Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Greenland.
Košir drew a specific parallel between Hitler’s invasion of Russia, driven by the need for oil derivatives, and the current situation in Venezuela. “The parallels are fairly clear, even though Trump has not yet exploited all the tendencies of his malignant, narcissistic personality,” he said.
President Trump has previously dismissed comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis as media inventions, including in a 60 Minutes interview. More recently, Vice President JD Vance urged Democrats to stop labeling political opponents as Nazis.
Košir’s History of Trump-Inspired Covers
This is not the first time Košir has used Trump as a subject for Objektiv covers. Previous designs include:
- One depicting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Trump’s distinctive hairstyle, critiquing an EU-U.S. trade agreement.
- Another showing Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s bowing heads reshaped into a nuclear mushroom cloud.
- A cover following Trump’s 2024 reelection featuring a bunch of bananas against a black background with the headline “They elected Trump.”
- An image of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” cap laced with barbwire, in response to announcements about mass deportations.
Košir rejected the notion that Trump serves as any form of inspiration. “It would be perverse if Trump became a muse for any author. Trump does not inspire us,” he said. He attributed the frequent appearances to the global impact of Trump’s actions.
Košir also commented on Trump’s reelection, describing the effectiveness of strategies like Steve Bannon’s “flood the zone” approach and noting that voters appeared to have quickly forgotten controversies from Trump’s first term.
