🔗 Share this article

It is a positive feature in a periodical that Trump has consistently praised – with one exception. The cover picture, Trump declared, "may be the Worst of All Time".

Time magazine's paean to Trump's role in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, featured on its November 10 cover, was presented alongside a photograph of Trump shot from a low angle 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 most awful ever", Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“They removed my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that appeared as a floating crown, but an very tiny one. Really weird! I always disliked taking pictures from low perspectives, but this is a terrible 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 Time’s cover and accomplished it on four occasions in the previous year. The preoccupation has extended to Trump’s golf clubs – previously, the editors demanded to remove fabricated front pages exhibited in several of his venues.

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

The shot's viewpoint did no favours for Trump’s chin and neck – an opportunity that California governor Gavin Newsom did not miss, with his communications team posting a modified photo with the problematic part obscured.

{The Israeli captives in Gaza have been liberated under the initial stage of the president's diplomatic initiative, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. This agreement could be a major success of the president's renewed tenure, and it could mark a key shift for the region.

Meanwhile, a defence of his portrayal has come from unusual quarters: the communications chief at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs stepped in to condemn the "revealing" image choice.

It's amazing: a photo exposes those who selected it than about the subject. Only disturbed individuals, people obsessed with malice and hatred –maybe even degenerates – could have selected such an image", she posted on Telegram.

"And given the complimentary photos of President Biden that the periodical used on the cover, despite his physical infirmity, the case is self-damaging for the magazine", she said.

The response to his queries – why did they choose this, and why? – may be something to do with innovatively depicting a sense of power stated by Carly Earl, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.

The photograph technically is professionally taken," she says. "They selected this photo because they wanted Trump to look impressive. Staring up at someone creates an impression of their majesty and the president's visage actually looks reflective and almost slightly angelic. It's uncommon you see images of the president in such a serene moment – the photo appears gentle."

The president's hair seems to vanish because the light from behind has washed out that area of the image, producing a glowing aura, she explains. And, while the story’s headline marries well with Trump’s expression in the image, "you can’t always please the subject matter."

"No one likes being captured from low angles, and even if all of the thematic components of the image are quite powerful, the appearance are not complimentary."

The news outlet reached out to the periodical for feedback.