🔗 Share this article

It is a positive feature in a publication that Donald Trump has long exalted – except for one issue. The front-page image, he stated, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time's praise to the president's involvement in facilitating a truce for Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was accompanied by a photograph of the president taken from below while the sun behind his head.

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

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

“My hair was obscured, and then there was an object above my head that looked like a hovering crown, but extremely small. Very odd! I have never liked being shot from underneath, but this is a super bad image, and it merits criticism. Why did they choose this, and why?”

The president has expressed obvious his ambition to feature on the cover of Time and achieved this multiple times in the past year. The obsession has extended to the president's resorts – years ago, the editors demanded to remove mocked up covers exhibited in some of his properties.

The most recent cover image was captured by Graeme Sloane for Bloomberg at the White House on October 5.

The perspective did no favours for the president's jawline and throat – a chance that the governor of California Gavin Newsom took advantage of, with his press office tweeting a version with the offending area blurred.

{The Israeli captives held in Gaza have been freed under the opening part of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a release of Palestinian detainees. This agreement could be a signature achievement of Trump's second term, and it might signify a pivotal moment for the region.

At the same time, a defence of Trump's image has come from a surprising origin: the director of information at the Russian foreign ministry came forward to criticise the "revealing" photo selection.

It's amazing: a photograph exposes those who selected it than about the person in it. Just unwell persons, people filled with spite and hatred –perhaps even perverts – could have chosen such a photo", Maria Zakharova posted on the messaging platform.

In light of the positive pictures of Biden that the periodical displayed on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the case is self-damaging for the publication", she said.

The response to Trump’s questions – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a impression of strength says Carly Earl, an Australian publication's photo editor.

"The actual photo itself is well-executed," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted the president to look commanding. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their majesty and Trump’s face actually looks reflective and almost a bit ethereal. It's uncommon you see pictures of him in such a serene moment – the image has a softness to it."

Trump’s hair looks erased because the light from behind has bleached that section of the image, creating a halo effect, she says. Although the article's title marries well with Trump’s expression in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being shot from underneath, and although all of the conceptual elements of the image are quite powerful, the visual appeal are not complimentary."

The Guardian approached the periodical for feedback.