Time Magazine has asked the Trump organisation to take down any framed copies of a fake cover featuring Donald Trump, which have been prominently displayed in at least five of the US President's golf clubs.

The photoshopped image, which appears alongside a headline claiming the Apprentice is a "television smash", was uncovered by a Washington Post reporter as he was visiting one of Mr Trump's properties.

But the cover, which also says "Trump is hitting on all fronts … even TV", claims to be from the March 1, 2009 issue of the magazine.

There was no Time issue released on that date.

Upon further examination, the Post also found several other "telling mistakes" in the cover, including a skinnier red border, no white border and an issue with the placement of the secondary headlines.

"I can confirm that this is not a real TIME cover," a spokeswoman for Time Inc wrote in an email to The Washington Post.

The Magazine also confirmed they had asked the Trump organisation to remove the cover from display.

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It is not clear who created the fake cover.

A number of US media outlets questioned why the President would need to display a phony magazine cover, with a White House spokesperson declining to comment on whether Mr Trump knew the cover was a fake.

The businessman has claimed he had appeared on the cover of Time twice before he launched his political career.

But Mr Trump only appeared on the cover of Time once before his presidential run, in January 1989.

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Gerry Connolly, who is a democrat from Virginia's 11th congressional district, ridiculed the cover online.

"Wow, my first cover of Time. Asked my staff to frame this and hang it in all four of my offices," he wrote.

Social media users were also quick to point out the seeming hypocrisy of Mr Trump labelling outlets as fake news, while at the same time having a phony cover displayed in his golf clubs.

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