Critics swiftly mocked the State Department’s decision to plaster President Donald Trump’s face on new editions of the United States passport to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial.
“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,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told CBS News. “These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. passport among the most secure documents in the world.”
News of the design was first reported on Tuesday by Fox News Digital and The Bulwark, whose reporter, Tim Miller, was among the many critics of the move, saying that by the end of Trump’s term, he may attempt to rename the capital to “Trump D.C.”
Others, such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, posted photoshopped versions of the planned passport design with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s face.
“It’s outrageous that Donald Trump is putting the face of the person he cares about the most in the new passports,” Wilson wrote on X.
The Bulwark originally reported that a “limited run” of 25,000 passports would be issued featuring Trump’s face and golden signature superimposed over the Declaration of Independence.
No country in the modern era, including the U.S., has ever featured a portrait of a sitting head of state on its passports.
Read more reactions from critics on social media here: