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This is a positive feature in a publication that Donald Trump has consistently praised – with one exception. The cover picture, the president decreed, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's praise to the president's involvement in mediating a Gaza ceasefire, featured on its November 10 cover, was accompanied by a photograph of the president shot from a low angle while the sun behind his head.

The effect, he says, is ""extremely poor".

"Time wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time", the president posted on Truth Social.

“My hair was erased, and then there was an object above my head that appeared as a hovering crown, but extremely small. Very odd! I have never liked being shot from underneath, but this is a super bad image, and it deserves to be called out. Why did they choose this, and why?”

The president has expressed no secret of his desire to appear on the cover of Time and accomplished it on four occasions in the previous year. The preoccupation has extended to Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages shown in a few of his establishments.

The most recent cover image was taken by Graeme Sloane 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 Newsom seized, with his press office tweeting a version with the offending area obscured.

{The hostages from Israel held in Gaza have been liberated under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. This agreement may become a defining accomplishment of the president's renewed tenure, and it might signify a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

Meanwhile, a defence of the president’s appearance has emerged from unusual quarters: the communications chief at Moscow's diplomatic office came forward to condemn the "revealing" image choice.

It's remarkable: a photo exposes those who chose it than about the person in it. Only disturbed individuals, people obsessed with malice and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have picked this picture", she posted on her social channel.

"And given the complimentary photos of Biden that the periodical used on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the situation is self-revealing for the magazine", she noted.

The explanation for Trump’s questions – why did they choose this, and why? – might involve innovatively depicting a impression of strength says an imaging expert, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The photograph technically is professionally taken," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted trump to look commanding. Gazing upward creates an impression of their grandeur and the president's visage actually looks thoughtful and almost somewhat divine. It's uncommon you see images of the president in such a peaceful state – the picture feels tender."

His hair seems to vanish because the rear illumination has overexposed that part of the image, creating a halo effect, she says. Although the story’s headline pairs nicely with his facial expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the subject matter."

"No one likes being captured from low angles, and although all of the artistic aspects of the image are quite powerful, the aesthetics are not complimentary."

The publication approached the periodical for comment.