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It is a glowing article in a publication that Trump has long exalted – with one exception. The magazine's cover photo, the president decreed, ""might be the most terrible in history".

Time's tribute to Trump's role in mediating a Gaza ceasefire, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photograph of Trump captured from underneath and with the sun positioned behind him.

The effect, he says, is "super bad".

"The publication wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the lowest quality in history", the president posted on his social media platform.

“My hair was obscured, and then there was something floating my head that looked like a suspended diadem, but very tiny. Very odd! I have consistently disliked being captured from low angles, but this is a awful image, and it merits criticism. What are they doing, and why?”

The president has expressed no secret of his desire to feature on the cover of Time and accomplished it four times last year. The preoccupation has made it as far as Trump’s golf clubs – previously, the publication requested to remove fake issues shown in 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 did no favours for Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that California governor Gavin Newsom took advantage of, with his press office posting a modified photo with the problematic part pixelated.

{The hostages from Israel in Gaza have been liberated under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, in exchange for a release of Palestinian detainees. The arrangement might turn into a defining accomplishment of the president's renewed tenure, and it might signify a key shift for the Middle East.

At the same time, a defense of his portrayal has emerged from a surprising origin: the spokesperson at Moscow's diplomatic office stepped in to criticise the "damaging" photo selection.

It's remarkable: a photograph says more about those who chose 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 the same publication featured on the front, notwithstanding his health issues, the situation is self-revealing for the magazine", she said.

The explanation for his queries – what were Time’s editors doing, and why? – might involve creatively capturing a impression of strength according to a picture editor, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The photograph technically is professionally taken," she notes. "They chose this shot because they wanted the president to look commanding. Looking up at a person evokes a feeling of their grandeur and the president's visage actually looks contemplative and almost a bit ethereal. It's rare you see images of the president in such a peaceful state – the image has a softness to it."

Trump’s hair appears to “disappear” because the rear illumination has bleached that section of the image, producing a glowing aura, she says. Even though the article's title pairs nicely with his facial expression in the image, "you can’t always please the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and while all of the artistic aspects of the image are very strong, the aesthetics are unflattering."

The publication contacted the magazine for comment.