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It is a glowing feature in a periodical that the president has frequently admired – with one exception. The magazine's cover photo, the president decreed, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time's praise to the president's involvement in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was paired with a image of the president captured from underneath while the sun behind his head.

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

"The publication wrote a relatively good story about me, but the photo may be the Worst of All Time", he shared on Truth Social.

“My hair was erased, and then there was an object above my head that seemed like a floating crown, but very tiny. Really weird! I have consistently disliked being shot from underneath, but this is a super bad image, and it should be denounced. What are they doing, 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 made it as far as his golf courses – years ago, the editors demanded to remove mocked up covers exhibited in several of his venues.

The latest edition’s photo was taken by a photographer for a news agency at the White House on October 5.

The perspective did no favours for Trump’s chin and neck – a chance that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with the governor's office tweeting a version with the criticized section pixelated.

{The living Israeli hostages detained in Gaza have been liberated under the opening part of Donald Trump's peace plan, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. This agreement may become a signature achievement of the president's renewed tenure, and it might signify a key shift for that part of the world.

Meanwhile, a defence of Trump's image has come from unusual quarters: the director of information at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs intervened to criticise the "revealing" image choice.

It's amazing: a image reveals far more about those who picked it than about the subject. Only disturbed individuals, people filled with spite and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have chosen such a photo", Maria Zakharova shared on Telegram.

Considering the favorable images of Biden that that magazine displayed on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the case is self-damaging for the magazine", she noted.

The explanation for his queries – what were Time’s editors doing, and why? – may be something to do with artistically representing a sense of power stated by Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The image itself is well-executed," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted trump to look impressive. Staring up at someone evokes a feeling of their grandeur and Trump’s face actually looks thoughtful and almost a bit ethereal. It's uncommon you see pictures of him in such a peaceful state – the picture feels tender."

Trump’s hair looks erased because the rear illumination has overexposed that part of the image, generating a radiant circle, she says. Even though the feature's heading pairs nicely with the president's look in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being shot from underneath, and while all of the conceptual elements of the image are very strong, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The Guardian reached out to the magazine for comment.