WASHINGTON: An image of United States President Donald Trump will soon appear in some US passports, officials said on Tuesday, marking another break from long-standing tradition as the president continues to imprint his personal influence on government institutions.
There are few precedents anywhere in the world, let alone in a democracy, of displaying sitting leaders’ pictures in passports, and Trump would be the first sitting US president featured in Americans’ travel documents.
The State Department said it would offer the limited-edition passport to mark this year’s 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.
The department, which has historically viewed itself as outside US partisan politics, posted on social media a sample of the passport featuring a stern-looking Trump superimposed over the Declaration of July 4, 1776.
Trump’s signature, in gold, appears underneath.
A second limited-edition passport design features a historic painting of the US Founding Fathers.
“As the United States celebrates America’s 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed US passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
Another department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Trump-themed passports would only be available at in-person appointments in Washington “for as long as there is availability.”
The passports would come at no additional cost, the official added.
It was not immediately clear whether applicants could refuse the Trump image, although most Americans apply for passports through local post offices, which would not issue the special edition.
Criticism over “vanity” concerns
Lawmakers from the rival Democratic Party criticised Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the initiative.
“Secretary Rubio should spend more time convincing his boss to end his war of choice in Iran, and less on wasting American tax dollars indulging Trump’s vanity,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats wrote on X.
Among countries that include artwork in passports, nearly all feature historical imagery or nature.
Even North Korea, despite widespread imagery of leader Kim Jong Un, does not feature him in passports; instead, they show Mount Paektu.
Current US passports include images of national history such as the Moon landing and landmarks like the Statue of Liberty.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has expanded the presence of his name and image across government institutions in an unprecedented manner.
Several government buildings in Washington have displayed banners of the president, while his name has been added to the Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts and the dismantled US Institute of Peace.
Last month, the Treasury Department also announced that Trump’s signature would soon appear on the US dollar bill, another first.
In contrast, Britain and other Commonwealth countries feature the likeness of King Charles III on currency as a ceremonial head of state without direct political involvement.
King Charles met with Trump on Tuesday during a state visit to Washington.
Only around half of Americans hold valid passports, a lower rate than many Western countries, and surveys suggest people in states that voted for Trump are less likely to travel internationally.