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This is a glowing story in a periodical that the president has long exalted – with one exception. The magazine's cover photo, the president decreed, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's tribute to Trump's role in mediating a Gaza ceasefire, featured on its November 10 cover, was presented alongside a image of Trump shot from a low angle and with the sun shining from the back.

The effect, Trump claims, is ""terrible".

"Time Magazine wrote a quite favorable story about me, but the image may be the most awful ever", he shared on his social media platform.

“My hair was obscured, and then there was a shape over my head that seemed like a floating crown, but very tiny. Really weird! I have always hated being shot from underneath, but this is a super bad image, and it merits criticism. What is their goal, and why?”

The president has expressed obvious his ambition to feature on the cover of Time and accomplished it four times last year. The preoccupation has reached his golf courses – in 2017, the magazine asked him to remove fake issues exhibited in several of his venues.

This issue's photograph was captured by a photographer for Bloomberg at the White House on 5 October.

The perspective highlighted negatively the president's jawline and throat – an opening that California governor Newsom did not miss, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the offending area pixelated.

{The Israeli captives in Gaza have been liberated under the opening part of Donald Trump's peace plan, together with a release of Palestinian detainees. The deal might turn into a signature achievement of Trump's second term, and it might signify a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

At the same time, a defence of his portrayal has been offered by an unexpected source: the director of information at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs stepped in to denounce the "self-incriminating" picture decision.

It's amazing: a image says more about those who picked it than about the subject. Only disturbed individuals, people driven by hatred and resentment –perhaps even perverts – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova shared on Telegram.

In light of the positive pictures of President Biden that the periodical used on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the case is self-damaging for Time", she noted.

The explanation for his queries – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a impression of strength according to Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

"The actual photo itself technically is good," she notes. "They picked this image because they wanted trump to look impressive. Looking up at a person evokes a feeling of their grandeur and his expression actually looks reflective and almost slightly angelic. It's uncommon you see pictures of him in such a peaceful state – the photo appears gentle."

Trump’s hair appears to “disappear” because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, generating a radiant circle, she explains. Even though the feature's heading complements his facial expression in the image, "you can’t always please the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being captured from low angles, and even if all of the thematic components of the image are highly effective, the appearance are unflattering."

The news outlet contacted Time magazine for a statement.