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It is a positive story in a magazine that Trump has consistently praised – except for one issue. The cover picture, the president decreed, ""might be the most terrible in history".

Time magazine's paean to Donald Trump's part in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was paired with a photograph of the president captured from underneath while the sun shining from the back.

The effect, the president asserts, is ""extremely poor".

"The publication wrote a fairly positive 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 seemed like a suspended diadem, but quite miniature. Very odd! I have never liked being captured from low angles, but this is a extremely poor image, and it merits criticism. Why did they choose this, and why?”

Donald Trump has shown obvious his ambition to be pictured on Time magazine's front page and accomplished it four times last year. This fixation has made it as far as the president's resorts – years ago, the magazine asked him to remove fake issues on display at some of his properties.

This issue's photograph was taken by a photographer for a news agency at the presidential residence on 5 October.

The shot's viewpoint highlighted negatively Trump’s chin and neck – an opportunity that California governor Newsom took advantage of, with his communications team posting a modified photo with the offending area blurred.

{The living Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been liberated under the first phase of the president's diplomatic initiative, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. This agreement may become a major success of the president's renewed tenure, and it could mark a strategic turning point for the Middle East.

Simultaneously, a defence of Trump's image has been offered by unusual quarters: the spokesperson at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs came forward to criticise the "revealing" image choice.

It's amazing: a image reveals far more about those who chose it than about the subject. Only disturbed individuals, people driven by hatred and animosity –perhaps even perverts – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova posted on her social channel.

In light of the positive pictures of President Biden that the same publication displayed on the cover, even with his age-related challenges, the story is simply self-incriminating for the magazine", she added.

The response to Trump’s questions – what did the editors intend, and why? – could be related to artistically representing a sense of power stated by Carly Earl, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The photograph technically is professionally taken," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their grandeur and his expression actually looks reflective and almost somewhat divine. It's rare you see pictures of him in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."

The president's hair looks erased because the light from behind has overexposed that part of the image, producing a glowing aura, she explains. And, while the feature's heading complements his facial expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and even if all of the artistic aspects of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are not flattering."

The news outlet approached Time magazine for comment.