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It is a positive article in a periodical that Trump has frequently admired – except for one issue. The cover picture, Trump declared, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's paean to Donald Trump's part in mediating a truce for Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was paired with a photo of Trump shot from a low angle while the sun positioned behind him.

The result, Trump claims, is ""extremely poor".

"Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the photo may be the lowest quality in history", he shared on his preferred network.

“They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had a shape drifting on top of my head that resembled a hovering tiara, but an remarkably little one. Quite bizarre! I never liked taking pictures from below viewpoints, but this is a terrible picture, and merits public condemnation. Why did they do this, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to be pictured on Time’s cover and did so multiple times in the past year. This fixation has extended to the president's resorts – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages exhibited in several of his venues.

The most recent cover image was captured by Graeme Sloane for a news agency at the presidential residence on 5 October.

The perspective highlighted negatively Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that California governor Gavin Newsom seized, with the governor's office sharing an altered image with the criticized section blurred.

{The hostages from Israel in Gaza have been freed under the opening part of Donald Trump's peace plan, together with a release of Palestinian detainees. This agreement could be a signature achievement of his next term, and it might signify a strategic turning point for the region.

At the same time, a defense of the president’s appearance has emerged from unusual quarters: the director of information at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to condemn the "self-incriminating" image choice.

It's remarkable: a photo exposes those who picked it than about the individual pictured. Only sick people, people obsessed with malice and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have selected such an image", Maria Zakharova posted on her social channel.

Considering the favorable images of President Biden that the same publication used on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the story is simply self-incriminating for Time", she said.

The explanation for Trump’s questions – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a sense of power says an imaging expert, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The image itself is professionally taken," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted the president to look heroic. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their majesty and his expression actually looks thoughtful and almost slightly angelic. It’s not often you see pictures of him in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."

Trump’s hair appears to “disappear” because the rear illumination has bleached that section of the image, producing a glowing aura, she adds. Although the article's title complements his facial expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the individual in question."

"No one likes being captured from low angles, and even if all of the conceptual elements of the image are highly effective, the appearance are not flattering."

The Guardian contacted the magazine for comment.