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

Time magazine's tribute to Trump's role in facilitating a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was paired with a photograph of the president shot from a low angle while the sun behind his head.

The effect, the president asserts, is ""extremely poor".

"Time wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the picture may be the lowest quality in history", Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“My hair was ‘disappeared’, and then there was something floating my head that seemed like a floating crown, but quite miniature. Truly strange! I have consistently disliked being photographed from below, but this is a awful image, and it merits criticism. What are they doing, and why?”

Donald Trump has shown obvious his ambition to feature on Time magazine's front page and did so on four occasions in the previous year. The obsession has made it as far as Trump’s golf clubs – previously, the magazine asked him to remove fabricated front pages shown in several of his venues.

The latest edition’s photo was shot by a photographer for a news agency at the White House on October 5.

Its angle was unflattering to the president's jawline and throat – an opening that California governor Newsom took advantage of, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the problematic part blurred.

{The hostages from Israel detained in Gaza have been released under the first phase of Trump's ceasefire agreement, together with a release of Palestinian detainees. This agreement may become a defining accomplishment of Trump's second term, and it might signify a key shift for the Middle East.

Meanwhile, a defense of the president’s appearance has been offered by an unexpected source: the communications chief at Moscow's diplomatic office intervened to denounce the "revealing" photo selection.

It's remarkable: a image reveals far more about those who chose it than about the individual pictured. Only disturbed individuals, people obsessed with malice and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have chosen such a photo", Maria Zakharova posted on Telegram.

In light of the positive pictures of President Biden that that magazine displayed on the cover, even with his age-related challenges, the story is simply self-incriminating for the magazine", she added.

The explanation for the president's inquiries – what were Time’s editors doing, and why? – might involve creatively capturing a feeling of authority according to Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The image itself is well-executed," she says. "They chose this shot because they wanted the president to look heroic. Gazing upward creates an impression of their majesty and the president's visage actually looks reflective and almost a bit ethereal. It’s not often you see pictures of him in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."

The president's hair appears to “disappear” because the light from behind has bleached that section of the image, generating a radiant circle, she adds. And, while the feature's heading pairs nicely with the president's look in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the subject matter."

Nobody enjoys being captured from low angles, and although all of the thematic components of the image are quite powerful, the visual appeal are not flattering."

The Guardian reached out to the magazine for a statement.