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This is a glowing feature in a periodical that the president has frequently admired – but for one catch. The magazine's cover photo, the president decreed, ""could be the worst ever".

Time's paean to Donald Trump's part in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photo of the president shot from a low angle while the sun behind his head.

The outcome, the president asserts, is "super bad".

"The publication wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the picture may be the lowest quality in history", the president posted on his preferred network.

“My hair was ‘disappeared’, and then there was a shape over my head that seemed like a suspended diadem, but quite miniature. Very odd! I have consistently disliked being photographed from below, but this is a extremely poor image, and it deserves to be called out. Why did they choose this, and why?”

Donald Trump has shown clear his wish to appear on Time’s cover and accomplished it on four occasions in the previous year. The obsession has extended to his golf courses – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fake issues on display at some of his properties.

The most recent cover image was taken by a photographer for Bloomberg at the White House on October 5.

The shot's viewpoint highlighted negatively his chin and neck area – an opening that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with his press office tweeting a version with the criticized section pixelated.

{The living Israeli hostages in Gaza have been released under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, in exchange for a release of Palestinian detainees. The deal could be a major success of his next term, and it might signify a pivotal moment for the Middle East.

Meanwhile, a defense of Trump's image has been offered by a surprising origin: the director of information at the Russian foreign ministry intervened to condemn the "revealing" picture decision.

It's amazing: a photo reveals far more about those who picked it than about the person in it. Only disturbed individuals, people obsessed with malice and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have picked this picture", she posted on her social channel.

Considering the favorable images of Biden that that magazine displayed on the cover, even with his age-related challenges, the story is simply self-incriminating for the magazine", she said.

The response to Trump’s questions – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with artistically representing a sense of power according to an imaging expert, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The photograph technically is well-executed," she notes. "They picked this image because they wanted trump to look impressive. Gazing upward evokes a feeling of their importance and Trump’s face actually looks reflective and almost a bit ethereal. It's rare you see photos of Trump in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."

His hair seems to vanish because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, producing a glowing aura, she adds. Even though the article's title complements his facial expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the subject matter."

Nobody enjoys being captured from low angles, and while all of the artistic aspects of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are unflattering."

The news outlet reached out to Time magazine for feedback.