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It is a positive story in a periodical that Trump has frequently admired – with one exception. The cover picture, he stated, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's paean to the president's involvement in brokering a truce for Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was accompanied by a photo of Trump taken from below while the sun behind his head.

The result, Trump claims, is "super bad".

"Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the image may be the most awful ever", Trump wrote on his preferred network.

“My hair was erased, and then there was something floating my head that appeared as a suspended diadem, but quite miniature. Really weird! I have never liked being photographed from below, but this is a awful image, and it deserves to be called out. What is their goal, and why?”

The president has expressed no secret of his desire to appear on Time’s cover and did so four times last year. The preoccupation has extended to his golf courses – previously, the magazine asked him to remove fabricated front pages shown in several of his venues.

The latest edition’s photo was taken by Graeme Sloane for a news agency at the White House on the fifth of October.

The perspective was unflattering to Trump’s chin and neck – an opening that California governor Newsom took advantage of, with his press office posting a modified photo with the problematic part pixelated.

{The Israeli captives held in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of Trump's ceasefire agreement, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. The deal may become a signature achievement of the president's renewed tenure, and it may represent a strategic turning point for the region.

Meanwhile, a defence of Trump's image has emerged from unusual quarters: the spokesperson at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs came forward to denounce the "damaging" photo selection.

"It’s astonishing: a photo exposes those who selected it than about the subject. Just unwell persons, people filled with spite and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova shared on Telegram.

"And given the complimentary photos of President Biden that the periodical displayed on the cover, 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? – could be related to creatively capturing a sense of power according to Carly Earl, a media professional.

"The actual photo itself is professionally taken," she explains. "They chose this shot because they wanted the president to look impressive. Looking up at a person creates an impression of their importance and Trump’s face actually looks reflective and almost slightly angelic. It's rare you see photos of Trump in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."

His hair looks erased because the rear illumination has bleached that section of the image, producing a glowing aura, she explains. Although the story’s headline complements Trump’s expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the individual in question."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and while all of the thematic components of the image are highly effective, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The publication reached out to Time magazine for a statement.