The State Department is preparing a limited Trump passport release for America’s 250th birthday, with commemorative U.S. passports set to begin appearing shortly before July 4. Applicants at the Washington DC passport office will get the new design by default.
Tommy Pigott said the department is preparing to release “a limited number of specially designed U.S. passports” and that the book 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.” Between 25,000 and 30,000 will be available.
Washington DC passport office
The commemorative passport will be the default document for people applying in person at the Washington office, while applicants who want a standard passport will have to apply online or outside Washington. The special release was under consideration for months before it was approved in April.
The design places Donald Trump’s picture over a gold imprimatur of his signature on an interior page. The cover reverses the standard layout, putting “United States of America” in bold gold print at the top and “Passport” at the bottom, with a small gold laminate American flag and the number 250 encircled by stars on the back cover.
Current passport design
Current passports feature the only presidents now shown in a double-page depiction of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. They also include quotations from Martin Luther King Jr. and from Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
The new book adds Trump’s image to a federal travel document that already carries presidential references, but in a much narrower form. It also comes as Trump’s aides have added his name to the U.S. Institute of Peace building and the Kennedy Center performing arts venue, while he has promoted a so-called “gold card” immigration concept.
America’s 250th birthday
Pigott tied the release to the July celebration, saying: “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.”
For applicants in Washington DC, the practical choice is now simple: accept the commemorative book in person or use the online route to request a standard Passport. The rollout begins shortly before July 4, and the limited pool means the Washington office will be the only place where the default changes.
