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This is a positive article in a publication that the president has long exalted – except for one issue. The cover picture, Trump declared, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time magazine's praise to Donald Trump's part in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photograph of Trump taken from below while the sun shining from the back.

The effect, Trump claims, is "super bad".

"The publication wrote a relatively good story about me, but the image may be the Worst of All Time", the president posted on his social media platform.

“They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had a shape drifting on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Really weird! I never liked taking pictures from below viewpoints, but this is a extremely poor picture, and deserves to be called out. Why did they do this, and why?”

Trump has made obvious his ambition to feature on Time magazine's front page and achieved this multiple times in the past year. The obsession has reached Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fake issues on display at several of his venues.

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

The shot's viewpoint did no favours for Trump’s chin and neck – an opportunity that the governor of California Gavin Newsom seized, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the criticized section pixelated.

{The hostages from Israel held in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a freeing of Palestinian inmates. The deal could be a signature achievement of Trump's second term, and it could mark a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

At the same time, a defence of Trump's image has come from an unexpected source: the spokesperson at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to condemn the "revealing" picture decision.

"It’s astonishing: a photograph reveals far more about those who chose it than about the person in it. Only disturbed individuals, people filled with spite and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have selected such an image", the official posted on Telegram.

In light of the positive pictures of Biden that the periodical displayed on the cover, even with his age-related challenges, the case is self-damaging for the publication", she noted.

The response to the president's inquiries – what did the editors intend, and why? – might involve innovatively depicting a sense of power stated by an imaging expert, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The photograph technically technically is good," she explains. "They selected this photo because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Looking up at a person creates an impression of their grandeur and Trump’s face actually looks reflective and almost somewhat divine. It's uncommon you see photos of Trump in such a peaceful state – the picture feels tender."

Trump’s hair seems to vanish because the sunlight behind him has overexposed that part of the image, producing a glowing aura, she says. And, while the article's title complements the president's look in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being captured from low angles, and although all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The news outlet approached Time magazine for feedback.