The United States will soon begin issuing passports bearing an image of President Donald Trump, a State Department official announced Tuesday. According to Antigua News Room, which cited CNN reporting, the new passports will include Trump's likeness as part of efforts to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The passports will serve as the default document issued out of the Washington Passport Agency when available for those who renew in person at that location. Online renewals and applications at other locations will continue to use the existing passport design, the official said.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott confirmed the development Tuesday. "As the United States celebrates America's 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed U.S. Passports to commemorate this historic occasion," Pigott said. "These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. Passport the most secure documents in the world."
According to a mockup first published by Fox News, Trump's face and his gold signature will appear on the inside cover, while the back cover will display an image from John Trumbull's painting "The Declaration of Independence." The story was first reported by The Bulwark.
The State Department is expected to begin issuing the passports this summer, though the total number to be distributed has not been disclosed.
The inclusion of Trump's likeness in a US passport is considered the most significant use of his image on a government item tied to the anniversary celebrations. Unlike a commemorative coin or a national park pass, a US passport is an internationally recognized form of identification typically valid for 10 years.
Currently, the inside front cover of American passports features Percy Moran's painting of Francis Scott Key the morning after the bombardment of Fort McHenry — the battle that inspired Key to write what became the US national anthem — alongside printed lines from the anthem.
The passport announcement follows a series of similar commemorative moves. The Department of the Interior last year unveiled national park pass designs featuring Trump's face alongside George Washington's. Last month, Trump's handpicked Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve a commemorative coin for the 250th anniversary also bearing the president's likeness. Trump's name has additionally been affixed to both the Kennedy Center and the US Institute of Peace.
