Why Trump putting his face on U.S. passports is part of a ‘troubling trend’
TheGrio...
“This is more consistent with a monarchy – or worse a cult – that idolizes its leader,” Desirée Cormier Smith, former State Department official, tells theGrio.
President Donald Trump is yet again putting his name and face on U.S. property–this time it’s coming to a passport near you.
The U.S. Department of State announced on Tuesday that Trump’s image will be printed inside new U.S. passports to mark the semiquincentennial of the United States.
“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 in a statement, reports Politico. The Trump official said the passports will have “the same security features that make the U.S. Passport the most secure documents in the world.”
Preview images of the commemorative passport show a portrait of Trump atop of the Declaration of Independence on the inside cover, along with the president’s signature in his favorite color, gold. Beside the portrait is an image of America’s Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
SCOOP — The State Department is unveiling a limited-edition passport redesign for America250 featuring images of Donald Trump, the Declaration of Independence and the founding fathers.
Take a look: pic.twitter.com/KZbKuLjW5L
— Katelyn Caralle (@Katelyn_Caralle) April 28, 2026
The new Trump passports are expected to be released in July as part of the Trump administration’s America250 celebration, which will be culminated by a UFC fight on the South Lawn at the White House and a Grand Prix motor race on the streets of Washington, D.C. The Trump administration says the new passports will be available while supply lasts and will not cost any additional fees to obtain.
Desirée Cormier Smith, former Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice at the State Department under President Joe Biden, told theGrio that the new passport emblazoned with Trump’s image is “inconsistent with the principles of a democracy, namely those of a government for the people, by the people, and of the people.” She added, “This is more consistent with a monarchy – or worse a cult – that idolizes its leader.”
Dr. Nola Haynes, a foreign policy advisor and a professor at Georgetown University, said the Trump-branded passport is “emblematic of a troubling trend towards the elevation of individual leaders to almost regal status.” She told theGrio, “While the State Department has the authority to decide on passport design, we must scrutinize the implications of such a decision. By placing his image on a symbol of our national identity, Trump is attempting to assert himself as more than just a public servant; he is positioning himself as a figure deserving of veneration.”
While the new passport design marks the celebration of 250 years of the U.S., Haynes calls out what she sees as a troubling irony.
“We fought a war to escape the tyranny of monarchy, and now we see echoes of that past in the way some leaders seek to centralize power and cultivate a cult of personality. This is not just about nostalgia or celebration,” she said. “We must remain vigilant against any attempts to normalize such authoritarian impulses. Like with the Kennedy Center and the destruction of the White House, it won’t end with his photo on the passport.”
Since returning to the White House for a second term, President Trump has sought to plaster his likeness and name on various federal government properties, most notably renaming the Kennedy Center, which was built in 1971 in honor of former President John F. Kennedy Jr., the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. The U.S. Institute of Peace, built in 1984, was also renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Even on buildings not named after Trump, banners of his portrait can be seen displayed outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Labor, and Department of Agriculture.
There are also federal programs that have been named after the president, such as TrumpRx, a government website promoting low cost drugs, Trump savings accounts for U.S. children born between 2025 and 2028, and Trump Gold Cards, which charges $5 million for wealthy foreign investors to have a pathway to citizenship.
In March, a Trump-appointed panel approved plans to create a new commemorative gold coin that will display an image of Trump, marking a departure from a years-long tradition of not featuring living U.S. presidents on U.S. currency.
The 47th president of the United States has also sought to leave his mark more permanently in Washington, D.C., with major renovations made to White House, including putting cement on top of the turf of the Rose Garden, and more notably, the demolition of the East Wing–which was erected in 1902–to begin construction on a $400 million ballroom that mirrors the aesthetic of his many private properties.
As for the upcoming passports in Trump’s honor, Dr. Haynes said they are unlikely to “inspire people to travel to the U.S.”
She added, “It will most likely backfire because the rest of the world isn’t delusional about what Trump represents. The rest of the world isn’t MAGA.”