As the British parliament debates a petition whether or not to let Donald Trump into the country, one publication has handed him the US presidency - almost.

Time magazine's latest cover features a picture of Trump addressing a crowd, with the headline: "How Trump Won".

But this is quickly qualified with the explainer: "Now he just needs votes".

The article talks about his rise in the race for the White House, adding: "even the most mainstream Republicans are coming to grips with an idea they have resisted since last summer. This could be their nominee".

"Trump is a bonfire in a field of damp kindling - an overcrowded field of governors and former governors and junior Senators still trying to strike a spark".

Image: Time magazine

Time says his nearest rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, has some traction in Iowa - but that he has "a long way to go to show that he can move masses".

The magazine saysthat  forces within the party will continue to fight Trump to the bitter end, and that "the number of Americans who tell pollsters they would not vote for Trump is bigger".

But it alos says the Republican party "is weak at the national level, deeply divided into hostile camps, while Trump has the strength of a technological epoch at his back".

One could wonder: How many trump cards does he have?