US to issue ‘America250’ passports featuring Donald Trump’s image

 

US to issue ‘America250’ passports featuring Donald Trump’s image

 

Limited-edition versions will place US president’s portrait inside cover alongside declaration text and flag motifs

 

Joseph Gedeon in Washington

Tue 28 Apr 2026 15.34 EDT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/donald-trump-passports

 

The United States government, marking 250 years of independence from a monarchy, will this summer issue passports featuring a large photograph of its most senior leader’s face.

 

The limited-edition documents, billed as a commemoration of the US’s 250th anniversary of independence, will display Donald Trump’s photograph on the inside cover, surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the US flag, with his signature rendered in gold. A separate page features the famous painting of the founding fathers signing that very document.

 

Tommy Pigott, a state department spokesperson, said in a statement the passports would feature “customized artwork and enhanced imagery” while retaining existing security features, describing the US passport as one of “the most secure documents in the world”.

 

The passports form part of the administration’s “America250” celebrations, a program that also includes a Grand Prix race on the National Mall and a UFC fight on the White House south lawn.

 

The state department said it would release a limited number of the passports for the “historic occasion” but would not confirm how many there would be.

 

The passport is just the latest in Trump’s effort to plaster his face across US institutions and documents. A banner of the president’s face already graces the Department of Justice building in Washington, along with others hanging on the Department of Labor and the Department of Agriculture, where it is featured alongside Abraham Lincoln beneath the words “Growing America Since 1862”.

 

The national parks pass for 2026 also features Trump’s face, with George Washington’s, under the word’s “America the beautiful”. After visitors began covering his image with stickers in protest, the National Park Service updated its policy to warn that altering the pass in any way could render it invalid.

 

The US Mint, meanwhile, has published draft designs for a $1 coin bearing Trump’s likeness, and the commission of fine arts this year approved a design for a commemorative 24-karat gold coin featuring a stern-faced Trump leaning over a desk.

 

Completing the picture, a 250-foot golden victory arch – internally referred to as the “Arc de Trump” – received preliminary approval this month despite what was described as overwhelmingly negative public feedback.

 

A panel of Trump allies voted to proceed with the project, which, if built, would stand taller than both the US Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, and feature a golden statue reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty.