Gavin Newsom Mocks Trump’s Limited-Edition U.S. Passport Unveiling in Oakland

In Oakland, Calif., California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked President Trump’s unveiling of a limited-edition U.S. passport that prominently features Trump’s image, using a social media post from the Governor’s Press Office account.

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The post, written in the style of Trump’s signature all-caps screed, said: "IN HONOR OF CALIFORNIA'S 175TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE ROLLING OUT A VERY SPECIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE FOR EVERY CALIFORNIAN THIS SUMMER! IT WILL FEATURE A HANDSOME, HIGH-QUALITY PHOTO OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT'S THE BEST LICENSE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. THIS IS ABOUT CELEBRATING OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE (IT IS NOT ABOUT ME, DESPITE THE VERY HANDSOME PHOTO!). ENJOY! – GOVERNOR GCN."

HuffPost

The same reporting says Trump’s State Department unveiled the new passports on Tuesday to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, and that the passports are expected to launch this summer alongside nationwide anniversary events.

In a mock-up of the official passport document obtained by Fox News Digital, the text of the Declaration of Independence and the American flag are shown, with Trump’s signature in gold underneath his image.

The KTVU and HuffPost accounts both frame the move as a flashpoint for critics, with HuffPost describing the State Department’s decision as plastering “Trump’s Scowling Face” on new passports.

HuffPost also quotes State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott telling CBS News that the 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.”

HuffPost reports that 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,” and it ties the controversy to the State Department’s stated rationale.

In the same account, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told CBS News that the passports are being prepared as the United States celebrates America’s 250th anniversary in July, and Pigott said the passports will be “limited number of specially designed U.S. passports.”

KTVU

Pigott’s quote continues that “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.”

HuffPost also says the news of the design was first reported on Tuesday by Fox News Digital and The Bulwark, naming Tim Miller as a reporter among the critics.

The Bulwark’s Tim Miller is quoted in HuffPost as saying that by the end of Trump’s term, he may attempt to rename the capital to “Trump D.C.”

HuffPost further describes how California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson posted photoshopped versions of the planned passport design with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s face.

KTVU’s account describes how Newsom’s trolling extended beyond the “limited-edition U.S. passport” itself, including an earlier same-day post from the Governor’s Press Office account that shared a fake passport mock-up featuring a photo of President Trump alongside American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The KTVU report says the “Epstein files” and whether the administration has been transparent with the documents “has been a thorn in the president's side during his second term in office,” and it adds that the documents have been released “in batches and in heavily-redacted fashion.”

It also says Newsom used Trump’s all-caps style over the weekend to hurl insults at President Trump, invoking “loser,” a favorite taunt of Trump’s, when he satirically stated that even top Republicans, “I WON'T SAY WHO!” are approaching Newsom.

In that same KTVU description, Newsom’s post includes the line “AMAZING. AS GOVERNOR OF THE FREE WORLD” and says he should “GO TO THE WHCA (White House Correspondents Association) DINNER.”

KTVU also quotes Newsom’s post continuing with “EVERYONE IS BEGGING” him to do so, “BECAUSE I AM MAKING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ‘HOT’ AGAIN.”

The KTVU report further ties the passport controversy to a pattern of Trump-related changes to federal documents and buildings, citing a March statement from the U.S. Treasury Department about putting Trump’s signature on U.S. paper currency.

The Daily Beast adds a separate thread to the same Newsom-versus-Trump tone, describing Newsom as “activated royal troll mode” by christening Trump with a “brutal new regal nickname” amid a King Charles visit.

The Daily Beast says Newsom’s Press Office Account on X suggested a new caption for a White House post Tuesday featuring Donald Trump with King Charles, where the White House captioned the image “TWO KINGS” with a crown emoji.

The Daily Beast

Newsom reposted the image and “knight[ed] Trump with a less-flattering title,” quoting the Press Office post: “One is the King of the U.K. And the other is the King of Bulls--t,” which the Daily Beast presents as the governor’s alternative caption.

The Daily Beast reports that Trump rejected the regal title during an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday, telling Norah O’Donnell: “I’m not a King, if I was a King, I wouldn’t be dealing with you,” and it identifies Trump as 79 and King Charles as 77.

The Daily Beast also links the passport trolling to the Epstein controversy, saying the governor redesigned the White House’s passport to include a photo of Donald Trump with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It further says Trump addressed his links to the sex offender during the 60 Minutes interview, and it quotes Trump responding to excerpts from a manifesto presented by O’Donnell that included the line that he was “no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”

Across the accounts, the immediate next step is the State Department’s planned rollout of the limited-edition passports, which KTVU says are expected to launch this summer alongside nationwide anniversary events for America’s 250th anniversary.

“California Governor Gavin Newsom has activated royal troll mode by christening President Trump with a brutal new regal nickname”

The Daily Beast

HuffPost frames the same timeline by stating that “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.”

HuffPost

The KTVU report also says the passports are unveiled by Trump’s State Department on Tuesday, and it describes the mock-up showing the Declaration of Independence and American flag, with Trump’s signature in gold underneath his image.

The controversy is already feeding into broader political messaging, with KTVU describing Newsom’s all-caps trolling and HuffPost describing critics’ photoshopped versions featuring Jeffrey Epstein’s face.

HuffPost also says The Bulwark reported a “limited run” of 25,000 passports, which sets a concrete scale for how many documents are planned for the commemorative release.

In parallel, the Daily Beast reports that Trump is continuing to address the Epstein Files and his denials in public interviews, quoting Trump saying, “I’ve been totally exonerated,” and also quoting him saying, “I was totally exonerated. Your friends on the other side of the plate are the ones that were involved with, let’s say, Epstein or other things.”