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This is a positive story in a periodical that Trump has long exalted – with one exception. The cover picture, the president decreed, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time magazine's paean to Trump's role in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was presented alongside a photograph of Trump captured from underneath and with the sun behind his head.

The result, the president asserts, is "super bad".

"The publication wrote a quite favorable story about me, but the picture may be the lowest quality in history", Trump wrote on his preferred network.

“My hair was erased, and then there was something floating my head that looked like a floating crown, but quite miniature. Very odd! I have consistently disliked being captured from low angles, but this is a extremely poor image, and it merits criticism. What are they doing, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to feature on Time magazine's front page and accomplished it multiple times in the past year. This fixation has made it as far as his golf courses – years ago, the editors demanded to remove mocked up covers shown in several of his venues.

This issue's photograph was taken by Graeme Sloane for a news agency at the presidential residence on October 5.

The perspective was unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with his press office sharing an altered image with the offending area blurred.

{The Israeli captives in Gaza have been released under the initial stage of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a freeing of Palestinian inmates. The deal may become a major success of the president's renewed tenure, and it could mark a key shift for the Middle East.

At the same time, a support for Trump's image has come from an unexpected source: the director of information at the Russian foreign ministry came forward to denounce the "damaging" photo selection.

It's remarkable: a image exposes those who chose it than about the subject. Just unwell persons, people obsessed with malice and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have chosen such a photo", she posted on the messaging platform.

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

The answer to his queries – what were Time’s editors doing, and why? – may be something to do with artistically representing a feeling of authority says a picture editor, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

"The actual photo itself is well-executed," she notes. "They chose this shot because they wanted the president to look impressive. Gazing upward gives a sense of their importance and the president's visage actually looks reflective and almost somewhat divine. It’s not often you see images of the president in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

His hair appears to “disappear” because the sunlight behind him has overexposed that part of the image, creating a halo effect, she explains. Even though the feature's heading complements his facial expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the person photographed."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and while all of the artistic aspects of the image are very strong, the appearance are unflattering."

The publication reached out to the magazine for feedback.