🔗 Share this article

This is a positive feature in a magazine that Trump has long exalted – but for one catch. The cover picture, Trump declared, ""could be the worst ever".

Time magazine's tribute to the president's involvement in brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, leading its 10 November issue, was presented alongside a photograph of Trump captured from underneath and with the sun positioned behind him.

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

"Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the most awful ever", the president posted on his social media platform.

“They removed my hair, and then had a shape drifting on top of my head that appeared as a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Quite bizarre! I always disliked taking pictures from low perspectives, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What is their intention, and why?”

Donald Trump has shown no secret of his desire to appear on the cover of Time and achieved this on four occasions in the previous year. The obsession has extended to the president's resorts – years ago, the magazine asked him to remove fake issues on display at several of his venues.

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

The shot's viewpoint was unflattering to his chin and neck area – an opening that the governor of California Gavin Newsom seized, with the governor's office posting a modified photo with the criticized section pixelated.

{The Israeli captives in Gaza have been liberated under the initial stage of Trump's ceasefire agreement, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. The deal might turn into a signature achievement of the president's renewed tenure, and it might signify a pivotal moment for the Middle East.

At the same time, a defence of Trump's image has emerged from unusual quarters: the spokesperson at Moscow's diplomatic office intervened to denounce the "damaging" image choice.

"It’s astonishing: a image exposes those who selected it than about the person in it. Only disturbed individuals, people obsessed with malice and animosity –perhaps even perverts – could have chosen such a photo", the official shared on the messaging platform.

"And given the complimentary photos of President Biden that the periodical displayed on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the story is simply self-incriminating for the magazine", she added.

The explanation for Trump’s questions – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with innovatively depicting a feeling of authority stated by a picture editor, a media professional.

The image itself is well-executed," she notes. "They selected this photo because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Looking up at a person creates an impression of their majesty and Trump’s face actually looks contemplative and almost somewhat divine. It's rare you see pictures of him in such a serene moment – the picture feels tender."

The president's hair seems to vanish because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, creating a halo effect, she adds. Although the story’s headline complements the president's look in the image, "one cannot constantly gratify the subject matter."

Few people appreciate being photographed from below, and even if all of the thematic components of the image are very strong, the appearance are not flattering."

The publication approached the periodical for comment.