Time Magazine cover about Venezuela is fabricated | Fact check

[En Español: No, Venezuela no está en la portada de la revista Time del 5 de agosto]
A July 30 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a Time Magazine cover with a picture of a man in a black hoodie wielding a hammer atop a statue.
“The whole world with its eyes on Venezuela,” reads part of the post text in Spanish. “Dictator Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello are cornered. Strength Venezuela!”
The same image was shared on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.
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The cover on the date in question, Aug. 5, referenced the U.S. presidential election, not Venezuela.
The Time Magazine cover is dated Aug. 5, but that’s not what the cover was that day. The real cover, which had a similar all-red background, showed Vice President Kamala Harris entering and President Joe Biden exiting, reflecting the 2024 presidential race.
Time hasn’t had a cover referencing Venezuela this year, and no covers since March have referenced international topics.
The picture in the post shows a sculpture of the deceased former president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. The statue was knocked down by protesters in the city of Coro, Venezuela, on July 29, a day after the election, according to La Tercera, a Chilean newspaper.
Similar protests involving statues have happened across the country.
Chavez initiated the “Bolivarian revolution” in Venezuela and dismantled the country’s democratic political system. He held power for 14 years until his death from cancer in 2013. Nícolas Maduro became his successor.
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Venezuelan authorities declared Maduro the winner of the country’s presidential election in July but have yet to provide voting tallies to prove the victory, leading to questions about the election’s legitimacy, according to the Associated Press.
The claim also mentions Diosdado Cabello, a fervent follower of Maduro and the vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.
Meanwhile, opposition-organized protests continue in the country. They argue that Edmundo Gonzalez, their candidate, was the real winner and have called for a worldwide rally on Aug. 17, according to the BBC.
The U.S. government claims there is “overwhelming evidence” that Gonzalez received the most votes.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
AFP and Newtral also debunked the claim.
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