🔗 Share this article

This is a favorable story in a magazine that Donald Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The cover picture, he stated, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's paean to the president's involvement in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was accompanied by a image of Trump captured from underneath while the sun positioned behind him.

The effect, Trump claims, is ""extremely poor".

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

“My hair was erased, and then there was something floating my head that appeared as a hovering crown, but extremely small. Really weird! I have always hated being photographed from below, but this is a awful image, and it deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to feature on the cover of Time and achieved this on four occasions in the previous year. The obsession has extended to Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fake issues on display at some of his properties.

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

The perspective highlighted negatively his chin and neck area – an opening that the governor of California Gavin Newsom seized, with his communications team posting a modified photo with the problematic part blurred.

{The hostages from Israel in Gaza have been liberated under the first phase of the president's diplomatic initiative, together with a Palestinian prisoner release. The deal may become a defining accomplishment of the president's renewed tenure, and it could mark a key shift for the Middle East.

Simultaneously, a support for his portrayal has been offered by unusual quarters: the spokesperson at Moscow's diplomatic office intervened to condemn the "self-incriminating" image choice.

"It’s astonishing: a photo says more about those who picked it than about the individual pictured. Only disturbed individuals, people driven by hatred and resentment –perhaps even perverts – could have chosen such a photo", the official wrote on the messaging platform.

In light of the positive pictures of Biden that the periodical displayed on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the story is simply self-incriminating for Time", she noted.

The explanation for the president's inquiries – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with artistically representing a impression of strength says Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The photograph technically is professionally taken," she notes. "They picked this image because they wanted the president to look heroic. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their majesty and Trump’s face actually looks thoughtful and almost somewhat divine. It's rare you see photos of Trump in such a peaceful state – the photo appears gentle."

His hair seems to vanish because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, generating a radiant circle, she adds. And, while the story’s headline pairs nicely with the president's look in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the person photographed."

Nobody enjoys being shot from underneath, and while all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The Guardian approached Time magazine for feedback.