It is a glowing feature in a publication that Trump has long exalted – except for one issue. The front-page image, he stated, "may be the Worst of All Time".
Time magazine's paean to the president's involvement in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, headlining its early November edition, was paired with a photograph of Trump taken from below while the sun behind his head.
The result, Trump claims, is "super bad".
"Time wrote a fairly positive story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time", he shared on his social media platform.
“My hair was erased, and then there was something floating my head that looked like a floating crown, but very tiny. Very odd! I have never liked being photographed from below, but this is a awful image, and it merits criticism. Why did they choose this, and why?”
Trump has made no secret of his desire to appear on Time magazine's front page and accomplished it four times last year. The obsession has made it as far as his golf courses – years ago, the publication requested to remove fabricated front pages exhibited in some of his properties.
The most recent cover image was shot by a photographer for a news agency at the White House on October 5.
The perspective did no favours for Trump’s chin and neck – a chance that the governor of California Newsom took advantage of, with his communications team sharing an altered image with the offending area pixelated.
{The hostages from Israel in Gaza have been released under the first phase of Trump's ceasefire agreement, in exchange for a Palestinian prisoner release. This agreement may become a major success of the president's renewed tenure, and it might signify a strategic turning point for the Middle East.
Meanwhile, a support for Trump's image has emerged from a surprising origin: the spokesperson at Russia’s ministry of foreign affairs stepped in to criticise the "revealing" image choice.
It's remarkable: a photograph exposes those who picked it than about the individual pictured. Only disturbed individuals, people driven by hatred and hatred –perhaps even perverts – could have chosen such a photo", the official posted on the messaging platform.
"And given the complimentary photos of Biden that the same publication displayed on the cover, notwithstanding his health issues, the story is simply self-incriminating for the magazine", she said.
The explanation for the president's inquiries – what were Time’s editors doing, and why? – might involve creatively capturing a sense of power says a picture editor, Guardian Australia’s picture editor.
The photograph technically is well-executed," she explains. "They picked this image because they wanted Trump to look commanding. Staring up at someone gives a sense of their majesty and the president's visage actually looks contemplative and almost somewhat divine. It's uncommon you see images of the president in such a calm instance – the photo appears gentle."
Trump’s hair looks erased because the rear illumination has overexposed that part of the image, creating a halo effect, she explains. And, while the feature's heading marries well with the president's look in the image, "it's impossible to satisfy the individual in question."
Nobody enjoys being photographed from below, and while all of the artistic aspects of the image are quite powerful, the appearance are not complimentary."
The publication reached out to Time magazine for feedback.
