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This is a glowing story in a magazine that the president has consistently praised – with one exception. The front-page image, Trump declared, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time magazine's paean to the president's involvement in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was accompanied by a image of the president captured from underneath while the sun behind his head.

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

"Time wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the photo may be the Worst of All Time", he shared on Truth Social.

“My hair was obscured, and then there was something floating my head that seemed like a hovering crown, but extremely small. Very odd! I have always hated being captured from low angles, but this is a awful image, and it merits criticism. What are they doing, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to be pictured on Time magazine's front page and accomplished it four times last year. This fixation has extended to the president's resorts – years ago, the publication requested to remove mocked up covers on display at a few of his establishments.

The most recent cover image was taken by a photographer for a news agency at the presidential residence on October 5.

Its angle highlighted negatively Trump’s chin and neck – a chance that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with the governor's office sharing an altered image with the problematic part obscured.

{The hostages from Israel detained in Gaza have been released under the initial stage of Donald Trump's peace plan, in exchange for a freeing of Palestinian inmates. The arrangement may become a defining accomplishment of his next term, and it may represent a key shift for that part of the world.

At the same time, a support for the president’s appearance has come from unusual quarters: the director of information at Moscow's diplomatic office intervened to denounce the "revealing" image choice.

It's amazing: a photo exposes those who selected it than about the subject. Only disturbed individuals, people filled with spite and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have picked this picture", the official wrote on the messaging platform.

"And given the complimentary photos of Biden that the periodical used on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the case is self-damaging for the magazine", she said.

The explanation for the president's inquiries – what did the editors intend, and why? – could be related to artistically representing a impression of strength stated by a picture editor, a media professional.

The image itself is professionally taken," she notes. "They chose this shot because they wanted Trump to look commanding. Looking up at a person creates an impression of their importance and his expression actually looks reflective and almost slightly angelic. It's uncommon you see images of the president in such a peaceful state – the image has a softness to it."

The president's hair seems to vanish because the rear illumination has bleached that section of the image, creating a halo effect, she adds. Although the article's title marries well with the president's look in the image, "you can’t always please the subject matter."

"No one likes being photographed from below, and although all of the artistic aspects of the image are quite powerful, the appearance are not complimentary."

The publication approached the periodical for comment.