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It is a glowing feature in a magazine that Trump has frequently admired – but for one catch. The front-page image, Trump declared, ""might be the most terrible in history".

Time magazine's paean to the president's involvement in mediating a truce for Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was accompanied by a image of Trump captured from underneath while the sun positioned behind him.

The result, the president asserts, is ""terrible".

"The publication wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the image may be the lowest quality in history", he shared on his social media platform.

“My hair was obscured, and then there was a shape over my head that seemed like a floating crown, but very tiny. Very odd! I have never liked being photographed from below, but this is a super bad image, and it deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?”

The president has expressed no secret of his desire to be pictured on the cover of Time and accomplished it on four occasions in the previous year. The preoccupation has extended to Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the editors demanded to remove mocked up covers exhibited in some of his properties.

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

The perspective highlighted negatively the president's jawline and throat – an opening that the governor of California Newsom seized, with his press office tweeting a version with the offending area pixelated.

{The Israeli captives detained in Gaza have been released under the opening part of the president's diplomatic initiative, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. The deal might turn into a defining accomplishment of his next term, and it may represent a pivotal moment for that part of the world.

At the same time, a defence of his portrayal has come from unusual quarters: the spokesperson at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to condemn the "self-incriminating" image choice.

It's remarkable: a image reveals far more about those who selected it than about the subject. Only sick people, people obsessed with malice and resentment –maybe even degenerates – could have selected such an image", she wrote on her social channel.

"And given the complimentary photos of Biden that the periodical displayed on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the case is self-damaging for Time", she said.

The response to Trump’s questions – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a feeling of authority according to a picture editor, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The image itself technically is good," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted trump to look heroic. Gazing upward creates an impression of their importance and Trump’s face actually looks reflective and almost a bit ethereal. It's rare you see images of the president in such a peaceful state – the picture feels tender."

His hair looks erased because the light from behind has overexposed that part of the image, producing a glowing aura, she adds. Even though the feature's heading complements his facial expression in the image, "you can’t always please the person photographed."

"No one likes being captured from low angles, and while all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are not complimentary."

The news outlet contacted Time magazine for comment.