Donald Trump is putting his face on US passports from summer 2026 as part of plans to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence. The limited edition special issue documents featuring Trump’s face “will be the default passport out of the Washington Passport Agency when available,” a state department spokesperson said.
The “customized artwork and enhanced imagery” in the passports will include the text of the Declaration of Independence and the US “stars and stripes” flag, plus a photograph of Trump, and his signature in gold lettering. He will appear alongside a portrayal of the founding fathers signing the Declaration.
It has not yet been confirmed how many “Trump passports” will be issued in the special batch, but the “historic occasion” is one in a list of official government “America250” celebrations, a list that includes a Grand Prix event on the National Mall, and an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout set to take place on the hallowed White House lawns.
🇺🇸 https://t.co/BkbO8DAhFz pic.twitter.com/QY4tGjmJLu
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 28, 2026
Critics have pointed out that Trump appears to be using the anniversary year to forge a cult of personality—emblazoning his face on the Department of Justice building, the departments of Labour and Agriculture, as well as on the national park’s 2025 pass.
After sacking its board, he also rebranded the formerly John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington as the “Trump Kennedy Center,” as a similar process to the one he imposed on the US Institute of Peace, now the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. In addition, Florida is about to get two major landmarks named after Trump: the Palm Beach airport near Mar-a-Lago, and a planned presidential library in Miami. The planned new White House ballroom is seen by some as another vanity exercise.
Over at the US Mint, draft designs are in the pipeline for a new $1 coin boasting Trump’s physiognomy, and, likewise, the Commission of Fine Arts has greenlit a Trump-faced commemorative 24-karat gold coin.
Patriot passport unlocked. 🦅
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 28, 2026
Limited edition. Stamped for America 250. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/86uxPS1FEk
That’s not to mention yet the so-called Arc de Trump proposed for Washington DC—a new 76-metre-tall, golden monument that Trump has hailed on his social channels as “the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World” and a “wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!”
Despite that fanfare, the public reaction to the Arc so far has been negative on both sides of the partisan divide. An ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found the majority of Democrats (78%) and Independents (57%) oppose the arch, with only 51% of Republicans in support.
It should perhaps be borne in mind that Trump’s chilling effect on travel consumers has even been given his name too, “the Trump Slump,” raising questions about how many of them will want to see his face on their gateway ID document. It therefore remains to be seen how many takers there will be for the special edition. While in-person applicants will find it’s the default offer, “Online options or other locations will maintain the existing passport design,” a spokesperson said.
