State Department planning new passport design with Trump’s portrait

The State Department is planning a limited-edition redesign of the American passport to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary in July, with new artwork that features a portrait of President Trump, according to a department official.

The redesign places the president’s portrait and signature over text from the U.S. Declaration of Independence on interior visa pages, marking a departure from passport artwork that had traditionally featured historical scenes, cultural symbols and iconic landmarks. 

The redesigned versions will be the default passport option at the Washington Passport Agency, once available, and will not incur any additional fee, a State Department official said. Online options or other passport-issuing locations will maintain the existing U.S. passport design.

“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 said. “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.”

Plans for the redesign were first reported by Fox News Digital and The Bulwark, which said an initial 25,000 copies would be issued. A department official called that figure “fake news,” without specifying how many of the commemorative passports will be issued.

The current “Next Generation” passport, introduced in 2021, includes illustrations of American landscapes and historical events across its pages. A prior redesign in 2007 added electronic technologies to prevent counterfeiting and inspirational quotations from former U.S. presidents. 

Mr. Trump’s name and likeness have been attached to a range of public institutions and programs during his second administration, including a planned renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and the United States Institute of Peace as the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.” The administration previously announced a “Trump gold card” visa program that would allow non-U.S. citizens to gain a valid visa to live and work in the U.S. for $5 million. 

The Treasury Department also previously announced that Mr. Trump’s signature will appear on paper currency, an unprecedented move for a sitting president, to honor the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence. The U.S. Mint is planning to issue a 24-karat gold commemorative coin that features Mr. Trump’s image.