“Remote Control”
— The President’s watch list.

For the cover of the September 29, 2025, issue, the cartoonist Barry Blitt attempted to capture, in one image, Donald Trump’s unprecedented series of attacks on the media, destruction of federal programs, and abuses of executive power that have ushered in a new era of political vengeance. “When voting for President,” Blitt said, “I, of course, want someone who will not only run the country but also help narrow down our media diet.”

— Françoise Mouly and Barry Blitt, Remote Control, The New Yorker, 18 September 2025

***

David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, added:

We’re unveiling next week’s magazine cover a bit early: it’s a timely drawing by the political cartoonist Barry Blitt. In it, a modest-sized hand poking out of a suit sleeve is holding a remote control with a big, red “Power” button at the top; the others say things like “Mute,” “Stifle,” “Banish,” and “Muzzle.” And at the bottom, there’s one for “Deport.” As I told Stephen Colbert last night as a guest on his show (cancelled by CBS, but still running, for now at least, until May), this cover is funny in a “ha-ha” way—and funny in the sense that it reflects our alarming reality. The President is trying to press the Mute button on satire, on aggressive reporting, on criticism. The question is: Who will bow down and who, in the name of free expression and the Constitution, will speak up?