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It is a favorable article in a periodical that Donald Trump has long exalted – with one exception. The magazine's cover photo, Trump declared, ""could be the worst ever".

Time's paean to Trump's role in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photograph of the president taken from below while the sun shining from the back.

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

"Time wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the image may be the most awful ever", the president posted on Truth Social.

“They removed my hair, and then had a shape drifting on top of my head that looked like a suspended coronet, but an extremely small one. Truly strange! I never liked taking pictures from low perspectives, but this is a super bad picture, and merits public condemnation. What is their intention, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to be pictured on the cover of Time and did so on four occasions in the previous year. The preoccupation has made it as far as Trump’s golf clubs – previously, the publication requested to remove fake issues exhibited in several of his venues.

The latest edition’s photo was taken by Graeme Sloane for Bloomberg at the White House on October 5.

The shot's viewpoint was unflattering to his chin and neck area – an opportunity that California governor Newsom did not miss, with the governor's office sharing an altered image with the criticized section blurred.

{The hostages from Israel held in Gaza have been freed under the opening part of Trump's ceasefire agreement, in exchange for a release of Palestinian detainees. The arrangement might turn into a major success of Trump's second term, and it could mark a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

Meanwhile, a support for Trump's image has been offered by unusual quarters: the director of information at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs stepped in to denounce the "revealing" photo selection.

"It’s astonishing: a photo reveals far more about those who picked it than about the subject. Only sick people, people driven by hatred and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have selected such an image", Maria Zakharova posted on her social channel.

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

The response to Trump’s questions – why did they choose this, and why? – could be related to artistically representing a sense of power according to a picture editor, an Australian publication's photo editor.

"The actual photo itself is well-executed," she says. "They selected this photo because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their grandeur and his expression actually looks contemplative and almost a bit ethereal. It's rare you see photos of Trump in such a calm instance – the image has a softness to it."

His hair seems to vanish because the rear illumination has overexposed that part of the image, creating a halo effect, she says. Although the article's title marries well with Trump’s expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the individual in question."

Few people appreciate being captured from low angles, and although all of the artistic aspects of the image are highly effective, the aesthetics are unflattering."

The publication approached the periodical for comment.