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This is a favorable article in a periodical that Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The front-page image, the president decreed, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's tribute to the president's involvement in mediating a Gaza ceasefire, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photograph of the president captured from underneath while the sun behind his head.

The effect, Trump claims, is ""extremely poor".

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

“My hair was ‘disappeared’, and then there was a shape over my head that appeared as a hovering crown, but very tiny. Really weird! 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 obvious his ambition to appear on the cover of Time and achieved this four times last year. The preoccupation has made it as far as the president's resorts – years ago, the magazine asked him to remove mocked up covers on display at a few of his establishments.

The most recent cover image was taken by a photographer for Bloomberg at the White House on the fifth of October.

Its angle highlighted negatively his chin and neck area – an opportunity that the governor of California Gavin Newsom took advantage of, with the governor's office tweeting a version with the criticized section obscured.

{The living Israeli hostages detained in Gaza have been released under the opening part of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a freeing of Palestinian inmates. The arrangement may become a major success of his next term, and it might signify a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

Meanwhile, a defence of his portrayal has emerged from an unexpected source: the spokesperson at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs stepped in to denounce the "self-incriminating" picture decision.

It's amazing: a photograph reveals far more about those who chose it than about the person in it. Just unwell persons, people driven by hatred and animosity –perhaps even perverts – could have picked this picture", she posted on the messaging platform.

In light of the positive pictures of Biden that the periodical featured on the front, despite his physical infirmity, the situation is self-revealing for Time", she noted.

The answer to Trump’s questions – what did the editors intend, and why? – might involve innovatively depicting a feeling of authority according to a picture editor, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

"The actual photo itself is professionally taken," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted trump to look heroic. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their grandeur and Trump’s face actually looks reflective and almost slightly angelic. It's uncommon you see pictures of him in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

The president's hair appears to “disappear” because the sunlight behind him has bleached that section of the image, creating a halo effect, she says. Although the feature's heading marries well with his facial expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the person photographed."

Nobody enjoys being photographed from below, and even if all of the artistic aspects of the image are highly effective, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The news outlet contacted Time magazine for feedback.