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It is a favorable story in a magazine that Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The cover picture, the president decreed, ""might be the most terrible in history".

Time magazine's paean to Trump's role in brokering a truce for Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was paired with a photograph of the president captured from underneath while the sun positioned behind him.

The effect, the president asserts, is ""terrible".

"The publication wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the image may be the most awful ever", Trump wrote on his social media platform.

“They removed my hair, and then had an object hovering on top of my head that appeared as a suspended coronet, but an remarkably little one. Truly strange! I always disliked taking pictures from low perspectives, but this is a super bad picture, and merits public condemnation. Why did they do this, and why?”

Trump has made clear his wish to feature on the cover of Time and did so four times last year. The obsession has reached the president's resorts – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fake issues shown in several of his venues.

This issue's photograph was shot by a photographer for Bloomberg at the presidential residence on 5 October.

Its angle was unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck – an opportunity that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with his communications team sharing an altered image with the criticized section blurred.

{The Israeli captives held in Gaza have been liberated under the opening part of the president's diplomatic initiative, alongside a release of Palestinian detainees. The deal might turn into a major success of the president's renewed tenure, and it could mark a key shift for the region.

Meanwhile, a defence of his portrayal has been offered by a surprising origin: the director of information at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs intervened to denounce the "damaging" photo selection.

It's amazing: a photo reveals far more about those who selected it than about the individual pictured. Just unwell persons, people driven by hatred and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova shared on the messaging platform.

Considering the favorable images of President Biden that the periodical featured on the front, notwithstanding his health issues, the case is self-damaging for the publication", she added.

The answer to his queries – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with artistically representing a feeling of authority according to a picture editor, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The image itself technically is good," she says. "They picked this image because they wanted Trump to look commanding. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their majesty and Trump’s face actually looks contemplative and almost slightly angelic. It's uncommon you see photos of Trump in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

Trump’s hair looks erased because the light from behind has overexposed that part of the image, generating a radiant circle, she says. Even though the feature's heading complements the president's look in the image, "you can’t always please the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being captured from low angles, and although all of the conceptual elements of the image are quite powerful, the appearance are not complimentary."

The news outlet approached the magazine for comment.