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This is a glowing story in a magazine that Donald Trump has consistently praised – except for one issue. The front-page image, Trump declared, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time magazine's paean to Donald Trump's part in facilitating a truce for Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was presented alongside a image of Trump captured from underneath and with the sun behind his head.

The outcome, Trump claims, is "super bad".

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

“They eliminated my hair, and then had an object hovering on top of my head that appeared as a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Really weird! I consistently avoided taking pictures from low perspectives, but this is a terrible picture, and merits public condemnation. What are they doing, and why?”

Trump has made no secret of his desire to feature on Time magazine's front page and accomplished it four times last year. The obsession has made it as far as the president's resorts – previously, the magazine asked him to remove mocked up covers exhibited in several of his venues.

The most recent cover image was shot by a photographer for Bloomberg at the White House on the fifth of October.

The shot's viewpoint did no favours for his chin and neck area – a chance that California governor Newsom seized, with his press office posting a modified photo with the problematic part obscured.

{The living Israeli hostages in Gaza have been freed under the first phase of Donald Trump's peace plan, together with a freeing of Palestinian inmates. The arrangement may become a major success of his next term, and it could mark a key shift for the region.

At the same time, a defense of the president’s appearance has been offered by unusual quarters: the communications chief at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs came forward to denounce the "self-incriminating" image choice.

It's amazing: a photo says more about those who selected it than about the individual pictured. Just unwell persons, people filled with spite and animosity –maybe even degenerates – could have picked this picture", Maria Zakharova shared on Telegram.

"And given the complimentary photos of President Biden that that magazine featured on the front, despite his physical infirmity, the situation is self-revealing for the publication", she said.

The answer to his queries – why did they choose this, and why? – could be related to innovatively depicting a impression of strength stated by Carly Earl, an Australian publication's photo editor.

"The actual photo itself is well-executed," she explains. "They selected this photo because they wanted the president to look commanding. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their importance and the president's visage actually looks contemplative and almost a bit ethereal. It's rare you see images of the president in such a serene moment – the picture feels tender."

Trump’s hair looks erased because the rear illumination has overexposed that part of the image, creating a halo effect, she adds. Even though the article's title complements his facial expression in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the person photographed."

Few people appreciate being shot from underneath, and although all of the artistic aspects of the image are very strong, the appearance are not complimentary."

The Guardian approached Time magazine for feedback.