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It is a positive feature in a periodical that Donald Trump has consistently praised – but for one catch. The magazine's cover photo, the president decreed, ""could be the worst ever".

Time's praise to Donald Trump's part in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was presented alongside a image of Trump taken from below and with the sun positioned behind him.

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

"Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the photo may be the lowest quality in history", Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“My hair was erased, and then there was an object above my head that seemed like a hovering crown, but quite miniature. Very odd! I have always hated being shot from underneath, but this is a extremely poor image, and it should be denounced. What are they doing, and why?”

The president has expressed clear his wish to feature on the cover of Time and did so on four occasions in the previous year. This fixation has reached the president's resorts – years ago, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages shown in several of his venues.

This issue's photograph was shot by Graeme Sloane for a news agency at the White House on 5 October.

The perspective did no favours for the president's jawline and throat – a chance that the governor of California Newsom seized, with his press office tweeting a version with the criticized section pixelated.

{The Israeli captives held in Gaza have been liberated under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, in exchange for a release of Palestinian detainees. This agreement might turn into a major success of Trump's second term, and it might signify a strategic turning point for that part of the world.

Simultaneously, a defense of the president’s appearance has been offered by a surprising origin: the director of information at the Russian foreign ministry intervened to condemn the "self-incriminating" photo selection.

It's remarkable: a image exposes those who selected it than about the subject. Just unwell persons, people filled with spite and resentment –possibly even deviants – could have picked this picture", she posted on the messaging platform.

Considering the favorable images of President Biden that the same publication displayed on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the situation is self-revealing for the magazine", she said.

The response to his queries – what did the editors intend, and why? – may be something to do with creatively capturing a feeling of authority according to an imaging expert, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The image itself is professionally taken," she says. "They selected this photo because they wanted the president to look commanding. Looking up at a person creates an impression of their grandeur and his expression actually looks contemplative and almost somewhat divine. It’s not often you see photos of Trump in such a serene moment – the picture feels tender."

His hair appears to “disappear” because the light from behind has bleached that section of the image, creating a halo effect, she explains. Although the article's title marries well with his facial expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the person photographed."

Few people appreciate being shot from underneath, and while all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the visual appeal are unflattering."

The Guardian approached the periodical for feedback.