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This is a favorable article in a magazine that Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The magazine's cover photo, the president decreed, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time's praise to Donald Trump's part in brokering a Gaza ceasefire, featured on its November 10 cover, was paired with a photograph of Trump shot from a low angle while the sun shining from the back.

The result, Trump claims, is "super bad".

"Time Magazine wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the picture may be the most awful ever", the president posted on Truth Social.

“My hair was erased, and then there was a shape over my head that seemed like a hovering crown, but very tiny. Really weird! I have consistently disliked being shot from underneath, but this is a awful image, and it deserves to be called out. What is their goal, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to appear on Time magazine's front page and did so on four occasions in the previous year. The obsession has reached Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages on display at several of his venues.

The most recent cover image was shot by a photographer for Bloomberg at the presidential residence on October 5.

The shot's viewpoint was unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that California governor Gavin Newsom took advantage of, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the offending area pixelated.

{The Israeli captives in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of Trump's ceasefire agreement, together with a release of Palestinian detainees. This agreement may become a major success of the president's renewed tenure, and it may represent a pivotal moment for the Middle East.

Simultaneously, a defence of his portrayal has been offered by an unexpected source: the communications chief at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to condemn the "revealing" image choice.

It's amazing: a photograph reveals far more about those who chose it than about the individual pictured. Just unwell persons, people filled with spite and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have chosen such a photo", Maria Zakharova posted on her social channel.

Considering the favorable images of President Biden that that magazine used on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the story is simply self-incriminating for the magazine", she said.

The response to the president's inquiries – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a feeling of authority says an imaging expert, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The image itself is professionally taken," she says. "They selected this photo because they wanted trump to look impressive. Looking up at a person gives a sense of their majesty and his expression actually looks contemplative and almost a bit ethereal. It's rare you see images of the president in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."

Trump’s hair looks erased because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, generating a radiant circle, she explains. Even though the article's title pairs nicely with the president's look in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the individual in question."

Few people appreciate being captured from low angles, and although all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are unflattering."

The news outlet approached Time magazine for comment.