President Trump Says TIME Magazine Cover Photo ‘May Be the Worst of All Time’

President Donald J. Trump has taken to his social media platform Truth Social to complain about the photo of him on TIME magazine’s latest front cover.

“Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time,” Trump writes. “They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one.”

Trump calls the photo “really weird” and says that he has never liked pictures from underneath angles. “But this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?” he adds.

Photographs taken from below someone’s chin have long been considered unflattering as they emphasize the chin, nostrils, and shadows under the eyes and nose. The photo is also taken on a wide-angle lens, which distorts proportions.

As for the “disappeared” hair, that is because the photo was taken on a bright, sunny day, and the Sun is directly behind Trump. That has meant a section of his blonde hair is barely visible, with most of the highlights blown. The photographer has exposed for the side of Trump that is in shadow.

Trump is arguably the most recognizable person in the world and the editors may have been looking for something a little different. But Trump is suggesting that the photographer and photo editor were intentionally trying to make him look bad, which is plausible. Although the final decision of the front cover will likely rest with the editor-in-chief.

According to the Metro, photographer Matt Sweetwoood says that “no one takes a picture of a world leader up the nostril. It’s deliberate, it’s awful, and it’s evil.” But others online called the photo “powerful,” and it makes sense since the story is about “his triumph” in the Middle East.

TIME is no stranger to controversial front covers: in June 1994, it ran a mug shot of O.J. Simpson but darkened the image, which led to accusations that it was racist. Photographer and illustrator Matt Mahurin, who designed the O.J. cover says that he was playing with shadow and light and “was unaware of how my creative choice could be perceived by those with a different history of concerns and experiences.”