Posted by Chinenye on Wed 29th Apr, 2026 - tori.ng
The U.S. State Department has announced plans for a limited-edition passport design to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, featuring imagery associated with President Donald Trump alongside historical symbols of the nation.
According to officials on Tuesday, certain US passports will soon have an image of Donald Trump, defying another convention as the president aggressively imprints his personal brand on governmental establishments.
Trump would be the first sitting US president to have his photo on a passport; there are very few examples of this elsewhere in the world, much less in a democracy.
In honor of the US Declaration of Independence's 250th anniversary this year, the State Department announced that it will provide the limited-edition passport.
A example of the passport, which shows a stern-looking Trump superimposed above the Declaration on July 4, 1776, was shared on social media by the department, which has always seen itself as outside US partisan politics.
Beneath is Trump's gold signature.
The US Founding Fathers were shown in a historic painting on a second limited-edition passport.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated, "The State Department is getting ready to release a limited number of specially designed US passports to commemorate this historic occasion as the United States celebrates America's 250th anniversary in July."
The Trump-themed passports will only be offered at in-person appointments in Washington "for as long as there is availability," according to another department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official stated that there will be no extra fees for the passports.
Although most Americans apply for passports through local post offices, which would not issue the special edition, it was unclear at the time if passport applicants could reject the Trump photo.
"Giving in to Trump's conceit"
Lawmakers of the rival Democratic Party criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the passport initiative.
The Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said on X, "Secretary Rubio should spend more time persuading his boss to end his war of choice in Iran and less on wasting American tax dollars indulging Trump's vanity."
Almost all of the nations that have artwork on their passports include either historical or natural images.
Even North Korea, which prominently displays images of its leader Kim Jong Un and demands respect, does not include him on the passport; instead, it shows the holy Mount Paektu.
Current US passports feature historical locations like the Statue of Liberty and many scenes from the nation's past, including the Moon landing.
Trump has imposed his brand and image on federal institutions in an unprecedented manner since taking office again last year.
The president's name has been added to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the destroyed US Institute of Peace, and banners of the president have been displayed at a number of government buildings in the capital.
In another first, the Treasury Department announced last month that Trump's signature would soon begin to appear on dollar bills.
The image of King Charles III, a head of state who is not actively involved in politics, appears on the money of Britain and other Commonwealth nations.
During a state visit to Washington on Tuesday, the king and Trump had a meeting.
According to studies, people in areas that voted for Trump are less likely to travel abroad, and only about half of Americans have valid passports—fewer than in many other Western countries.