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This is a glowing feature in a periodical that the president has long exalted – with one exception. The front-page image, the president decreed, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time's paean to Donald Trump's part in facilitating a truce for Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was paired with a image of the president shot from a low angle while the sun behind his head.

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

"The publication wrote a relatively good story about me, but the image may be the most awful ever", the president posted on his preferred network.

“They eliminated my hair, and then had a shape drifting on top of my head that resembled a suspended coronet, but an remarkably little one. Really weird! I never liked taking pictures from below viewpoints, but this is a terrible picture, and should be criticized. Why did they do this, and why?”

Donald Trump has shown no secret of his desire to appear on the cover of Time and achieved this four times last year. The preoccupation has reached Trump’s golf clubs – years ago, the publication requested to remove fabricated front pages on display at several of his venues.

This issue's photograph was captured by a photographer for Bloomberg at the White House on 5 October.

Its angle did no favours for his chin and neck area – a chance that California governor Gavin Newsom seized, with his press office sharing an altered image with the offending area blurred.

{The Israeli captives detained in Gaza have been liberated under the opening part of Trump's ceasefire agreement, alongside a Palestinian prisoner release. This agreement may become a defining accomplishment of his next term, and it could mark a strategic turning point for that part of the world.

At the same time, a defence of Trump's image has emerged from unusual quarters: the communications chief at Moscow's diplomatic office came forward to criticise the "revealing" image choice.

It's amazing: a image reveals far more about those who selected it than about the subject. Only disturbed individuals, people filled with spite and resentment –maybe even degenerates – could have chosen such a photo", Maria Zakharova wrote on her social channel.

In light of the positive pictures of Biden that that magazine displayed on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the situation is self-revealing for the magazine", she added.

The response to the president's inquiries – what did the editors intend, and why? – might involve innovatively depicting a impression of strength according to Carly Earl, a media professional.

The image itself is professionally taken," she says. "They chose this shot because they wanted the president to look heroic. Staring up at someone gives a sense of their grandeur and Trump’s face actually looks thoughtful and almost a bit ethereal. It’s not often you see photos of Trump in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

His hair seems to vanish because the light from behind has overexposed that part of the image, producing a glowing aura, she adds. Although the story’s headline complements Trump’s expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the subject matter."

"No one likes being photographed from below, and although all of the conceptual elements of the image are quite powerful, the aesthetics are not flattering."

The Guardian contacted the magazine for feedback.