Trump Moves to Put His Photo on US Passports; Critics Decry Unprecedented Personalisation of State

Washington DC: US President Donald Trump is planning to have his photograph included in a limited edition American passport to be released to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in July. The special edition passport would reportedly feature a photo of Trump at his second inauguration, above the Declaration of Independence, along with his signature in gold.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott confirmed the plans in a post on X, sharing a Fox News report and stating that the department was preparing specially designed passports to commemorate the historic milestone. It remains unclear whether applicants will be able to opt out of receiving the Trump-themed edition.

No modern American passport has ever featured the image of a sitting or former president, and the practice is equally without precedent among other nations. US passports have traditionally been issued in the name of the Secretary of State, with previous editions carrying the signatures of issuing officials but never the photographs or branding of political leaders.

Since returning to power, Trump has placed his name and image on government institutions to an extent not seen before. His banners have been raised on several government buildings in Washington, his name has been added to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the US Institute of Peace, and the Treasury Department announced last month that his signature would soon appear on dollar bills — another American first.

The passport move has triggered fresh controversy, with opposition leaders sharply criticising what they describe as the personalisation and appropriation of state institutions for political self-promotion