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It is a glowing feature in a publication that the president has consistently praised – but for one catch. The front-page image, the president decreed, ""might be the most terrible in history".

Time magazine's paean to Trump's role in facilitating a Gaza ceasefire, leading its 10 November issue, was presented alongside a photo of Trump taken from below and with the sun behind his head.

The outcome, he says, is ""terrible".

"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.

“They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that resembled a floating crown, but an remarkably little one. Quite bizarre! I consistently avoided taking pictures from below viewpoints, but this is a terrible picture, and merits public condemnation. What are they doing, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to be pictured on Time magazine's front page and achieved this multiple times in the past year. This fixation has made it as far as Trump’s golf clubs – in 2017, the editors demanded to remove fake issues exhibited in a few of his establishments.

The most recent cover image was captured by a photographer for a news agency at the White House on October 5.

The perspective was unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that California governor Newsom took advantage of, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the criticized section obscured.

{The hostages from Israel detained in Gaza have been liberated under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, alongside a release of Palestinian detainees. The arrangement could be a defining accomplishment of his next term, and it might signify a strategic turning point for the Middle East.

Meanwhile, a defence of Trump's image has come from unusual quarters: the communications chief at Moscow's diplomatic office came forward to denounce the "damaging" picture decision.

"It’s astonishing: a photo reveals far more about those who selected it than about the person in it. Only sick people, people filled with spite and resentment –perhaps even perverts – could have selected such an image", the official shared on the messaging platform.

"And given the complimentary photos of President Biden that the same publication featured on the front, despite his physical infirmity, the story is simply self-incriminating for the publication", she added.

The answer to the president's inquiries – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with artistically representing a feeling of authority says a picture editor, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The image itself technically is good," she notes. "They selected this photo because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their majesty and his expression actually looks thoughtful and almost a bit ethereal. It's uncommon you see photos of Trump in such a calm instance – the picture feels tender."

The president's hair appears to “disappear” because the sunlight behind him has washed out that area of the image, producing a glowing aura, she adds. And, while the story’s headline complements his facial expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the individual in question."

Nobody enjoys being photographed from below, and while all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are unflattering."

The news outlet approached the periodical for feedback.