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It is a favorable article in a publication that Trump has consistently praised – with one exception. The cover picture, Trump declared, ""could be the worst ever".

Time's tribute to Donald Trump's part in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was presented alongside a photograph of the president shot from a low angle and with the sun behind his head.

The result, Trump claims, is ""extremely poor".

"The publication wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the most awful ever", he shared on his social media platform.

“They eliminated my hair, and then had an object hovering on top of my head that looked like a suspended coronet, but an remarkably little one. Truly strange! I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a terrible picture, and should be criticized. What is their intention, and why?”

The president has expressed obvious his ambition to be pictured on Time magazine's front page and did so on four occasions in the previous year. This fixation has made it as far as Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages shown in a few of his establishments.

This issue's photograph was captured by a photographer for Bloomberg at the White House on October 5.

The shot's viewpoint highlighted negatively the president's jawline and throat – an opportunity that California governor Gavin Newsom took advantage of, with the governor's office sharing an altered image with the offending area pixelated.

{The hostages from Israel held in Gaza have been released under the opening part of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a freeing of Palestinian inmates. This agreement may become a defining accomplishment of his next term, and it may represent a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

Meanwhile, a defense of his portrayal has been offered by a surprising origin: the spokesperson at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs stepped in to criticise the "damaging" photo selection.

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

Considering the favorable images of Biden that that magazine featured on the front, notwithstanding his health issues, the story is simply self-incriminating for the publication", she said.

The answer to the president's inquiries – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a feeling of authority according to Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

"The actual photo itself is professionally taken," she notes. "They picked this image because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Staring up at someone gives a sense of their importance and the president's visage actually looks thoughtful and almost slightly angelic. It’s not often you see pictures of him in such a serene moment – the picture feels tender."

His hair seems to vanish because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, producing a glowing aura, she explains. Even though the story’s headline marries well with Trump’s expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the person photographed."

"No one likes being photographed from below, and although all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are not flattering."

The news outlet reached out to the magazine for a statement.