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This is a glowing article in a periodical that Donald Trump has frequently admired – except for one issue. The front-page image, Trump declared, ""might be the most terrible in history".

Time magazine's praise to Trump's role in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was paired with a image of Trump captured from underneath and with the sun behind his head.

The outcome, the president asserts, is "super bad".

"Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time", he shared on his social media platform.

“My hair was obscured, and then there was an object above my head that seemed like a hovering crown, but quite miniature. Really weird! I have consistently disliked being captured from low angles, but this is a awful image, and it should be denounced. Why did they choose this, and why?”

Trump has made clear his wish to be pictured on the cover of Time and achieved this four times last year. The preoccupation has extended to the president's resorts – in 2017, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages shown in some of his properties.

The latest edition’s photo was captured by Graeme Sloane for a news agency at the White House on October 5.

Its angle was unflattering to the president's jawline and throat – an opportunity that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with his press office tweeting a version with the problematic part blurred.

{The hostages from Israel in Gaza have been released under the initial stage of the president's diplomatic initiative, in exchange for a release of Palestinian detainees. The arrangement could be a defining accomplishment of the president's renewed tenure, and it may represent a key shift for the Middle East.

At the same time, a defence of his portrayal has been offered by an unexpected source: the spokesperson at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to condemn the "revealing" image choice.

"It’s astonishing: a photo reveals far more about those who picked it than about the individual pictured. Only disturbed individuals, people obsessed with malice and animosity –possibly even deviants – could have picked this picture", the official shared on the messaging platform.

In light of the positive pictures of President Biden that the same publication displayed on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the case is self-damaging for the magazine", she added.

The response to the president's inquiries – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a sense of power according to Carly Earl, a media professional.

"The actual photo itself technically is good," she says. "They selected this photo because they wanted Trump to look heroic. Gazing upward evokes a feeling of their grandeur and his expression actually looks reflective and almost somewhat divine. It’s not often you see images of the president in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

The president's hair looks erased because the rear illumination has overexposed that part of the image, generating a radiant circle, she explains. And, while the feature's heading marries well with the president's look in the image, "you can’t always please the person photographed."

Few people appreciate being shot from underneath, and although all of the conceptual elements of the image are highly effective, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The Guardian reached out to the periodical for a statement.