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This is a positive article in a periodical that Donald Trump has long exalted – with one exception. The front-page image, Trump declared, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time magazine's tribute to the president's involvement in mediating a truce for Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was presented alongside a image of the president captured from underneath and with the sun positioned behind him.

The outcome, he says, is "super bad".

"Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the photo may be the lowest quality in history", he shared on his social media platform.

“They removed my hair, and then had an object hovering on top of my head that appeared as a suspended coronet, but an very tiny one. Quite bizarre! I always disliked taking pictures from low perspectives, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. Why did they do this, and why?”

Trump has made clear his wish to feature on Time magazine's front page and accomplished it multiple times in the past year. The preoccupation has reached Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the publication requested to remove mocked up covers shown in a few of his establishments.

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

Its angle was unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that the governor of California Newsom seized, with his communications team tweeting a version with the problematic part pixelated.

{The living Israeli hostages detained in Gaza have been liberated under the opening part of Donald Trump's peace plan, alongside a freeing of Palestinian inmates. This agreement could be a signature achievement of his next term, and it may represent a key shift for the region.

Simultaneously, a support for the president’s appearance has come from an unexpected source: the communications chief at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to denounce the "damaging" photo selection.

It's remarkable: a photo reveals far more about those who chose it than about the person in it. Just unwell persons, people driven by hatred and animosity –perhaps even perverts – could have chosen such a photo", she shared on her social channel.

Considering the favorable images of President Biden that that magazine used on the cover, even with his age-related challenges, the case is self-damaging for the magazine", she said.

The explanation for the president's inquiries – why did they choose this, and why? – could be related to artistically representing a impression of strength says a picture editor, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The image itself technically is good," she explains. "They chose this shot because they wanted Trump to look heroic. Looking up at a person evokes a feeling of their grandeur and Trump’s face actually looks contemplative and almost somewhat divine. It’s not often you see photos of Trump in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

His hair seems to vanish because the rear illumination has washed out that area of the image, generating a radiant circle, she explains. Although the article's title marries well with Trump’s expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the individual in question."

"No one likes being captured from low angles, and even if all of the artistic aspects of the image are highly effective, the appearance are unflattering."

The Guardian contacted Time magazine for feedback.