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This is a glowing feature in a magazine that Donald Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The cover picture, Trump declared, ""could be the worst ever".

Time's paean to the president's involvement in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photo of the president captured from underneath while the sun shining from the back.

The outcome, the president asserts, is ""extremely poor".

"Time Magazine wrote a quite favorable story about me, but the photo may be the most awful ever", he shared on his social media platform.

“My hair was obscured, and then there was an object above my head that looked like a hovering crown, but extremely small. Very odd! I have consistently disliked being shot from underneath, but this is a super bad image, and it deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?”

Donald Trump has shown no secret of his desire to be pictured on the cover of Time and did so four times last year. The obsession has extended to the president's resorts – years ago, the publication requested to remove fabricated front pages exhibited in a few of his establishments.

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

Its angle highlighted negatively the president's jawline and throat – an opportunity that California governor Newsom did not miss, with his press office tweeting a version with the criticized section pixelated.

{The Israeli captives held in Gaza have been liberated under the initial stage of Trump's ceasefire agreement, alongside a release of Palestinian detainees. This agreement might turn into a defining accomplishment of his next term, and it might signify a strategic turning point for the region.

Simultaneously, a support for Trump's image has emerged from a surprising origin: the communications chief at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs came forward to denounce the "self-incriminating" photo selection.

"It’s astonishing: a photograph exposes those who chose it than about the person in it. Only sick people, people filled with spite and animosity –maybe even degenerates – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova wrote on the messaging platform.

"And given the complimentary photos of President Biden that that magazine featured on the front, even with his age-related challenges, the case is self-damaging for Time", she said.

The explanation for his queries – what did the editors intend, and why? – might involve creatively capturing a feeling of authority says an imaging expert, a media professional.

The photograph technically is professionally taken," she says. "They picked this image because they wanted the president to look impressive. Looking up at a person creates an impression of their grandeur and Trump’s face actually looks contemplative and almost slightly angelic. It’s not often you see photos of Trump in such a calm instance – the image has a softness to it."

The president's hair seems to vanish because the rear illumination has bleached that section of the image, creating a halo effect, she explains. Although the feature's heading complements Trump’s expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and although all of the artistic aspects of the image are very strong, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The news outlet contacted Time magazine for comment.