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It is a positive article in a magazine that Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The magazine's cover photo, he stated, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's paean to Donald Trump's part in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was paired with a photo of Trump captured from underneath while the sun positioned behind him.

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

"The publication wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time", he shared on his social media platform.

“My hair was erased, and then there was an object above my head that seemed like a floating crown, but very tiny. Truly strange! I have always hated being shot from underneath, but this is a super bad image, and it merits criticism. What are they doing, and why?”

Trump has made clear his wish to be pictured on Time magazine's front page and achieved this on four occasions in the previous year. The preoccupation has reached the president's resorts – in 2017, the editors demanded to remove fake issues on display at some of his properties.

This issue's photograph was captured by a photographer for a news agency at the presidential residence on 5 October.

Its angle did no favours for the president's jawline and throat – an opening that the governor of California Gavin Newsom seized, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the problematic part blurred.

{The living Israeli hostages detained in Gaza have been liberated under the opening part of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a release of Palestinian detainees. The arrangement may become a signature achievement of Trump's second term, and it might signify a key shift for the region.

Meanwhile, a defense of Trump's image has emerged from a surprising origin: the spokesperson at the Russian foreign ministry stepped in to denounce the "self-incriminating" photo selection.

It's remarkable: a photograph says more about those who chose it than about the person in it. Just unwell persons, people filled with spite and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova shared on her social channel.

"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 the publication", she said.

The answer 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 an imaging expert, an Australian publication's photo editor.

The image itself is well-executed," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted Trump to look commanding. Staring up at someone gives a sense of their grandeur and his expression actually looks thoughtful and almost slightly angelic. It's rare you see photos of Trump in such a calm instance – the picture feels tender."

The president's hair seems to vanish because the sunlight behind him has bleached that section of the image, generating a radiant circle, she adds. Even though the feature's heading pairs nicely with the president's look in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the person photographed."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and while all of the conceptual elements of the image are highly effective, the aesthetics are unflattering."

The Guardian reached out to the periodical for a statement.