U.S. State Department Unveils America250 Passports Featuring Donald Trump’s Image

The U.S. State Department is rolling out limited-edition U.S. passports to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, with President Donald Trump’s image prominently featured on the inside cover as part of the administration’s “America250” celebration.

Fox News reported that the new passport designs “prominently feature President Donald Trump's image on the inside cover,” with mock-ups showing Trump’s image surrounded by “the text of the Declaration of Independence and American flag along with the president's signature in gold.”

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NBC News similarly said the special edition passports will be issued “as part of the country's 250th anniversary,” and quoted State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott 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.”

Politico described the booklet as featuring “an image of the president’s face on the inside cover and other founding-era imagery,” and said previews show Trump’s portrait overlaid on the Declaration of Independence with his signature in gold.

The Guardian added that the limited-edition documents will display “Donald Trump’s photograph on the inside cover, surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the US flag, with his signature rendered in gold,” and noted a separate page featuring “the famous painting of the founding fathers signing that very document.”

Multiple outlets tied the release to July, with Fox News stating the passports “are set to be released this summer” and Politico and NBC News both describing an expected July release as part of America250.

The State Department’s rollout includes specific availability rules that several outlets described in detail, including that the passports will be available at the Washington Passport Agency and that online options or other locations will keep the existing passport design.

Fox News said the passports will only be available at the “Washington Passport Agency,” and quoted a State Department official saying the new designs will be available for “any American citizen” who applies for a passport when the rollout happens and will continue for as long as there is availability.

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NBC News reported that the special edition passport “will be the default out of the Washington Passport Agency while it is available,” while “online options or other locations will maintain the existing passport design.”

Politico likewise said the booklet “will be available at the Washington Passport Agency upon launch for American citizens applying for a new passport, and will be available while supply lasts,” and added that “There will be no additional fee to obtain the passport, according to a State Department official.”

People reported that the State Department confirmed the passports “will only be available at the Washington Passport Agency” and that there would be “no extra fee to obtain the limited-edition document,” while also stating the designs “will be available for any American citizen who applies when the rollout happens, and it will continue for as long as there is availability.”

The Guardian said the state department would release a “limited number” but “would not confirm how many there would be,” and Fox News described the launch as expected to coincide with the 250th anniversary in July.

Across outlets, the commemorative passport design is described with consistent elements: Trump’s portrait on the inside cover, the Declaration of Independence and an American flag behind or around it, and Trump’s signature in gold, plus a page featuring the founding fathers signing the Declaration.

Fox News said mock-ups show Trump’s image “surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and American flag along with the president's signature in gold,” and it described a cover alteration where “the words 'United States of America'” are “enlarged and placed at the top of the passport, above the crest.”

NBC News described the new design as showing “the president’s image superimposed over the Declaration of Independence and an American flag and features Trump's signature in gold lettering,” and said “A famous painting of the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence will be featured on another page.”

The Guardian similarly said the passports will display Trump’s photograph “surrounded by the text of the Declaration of Independence and the US flag,” with “his signature rendered in gold,” and noted “A separate page features the famous painting of the founding fathers signing that very document.”

New York Post reported additional specifics, including that the back cover will feature “a navy-and-gold version of the first official American flag adopted by Congress in 1777, but with the number “250” centered between the 13 stars,” and it said the inside cover includes “an engraved-style portrait of Trump set against the Declaration of Independence and a flowing American flag.”

Multiple outlets also emphasized that the design changes would not reduce security, with Pigott telling NBC News that the passports will “maintain the same security features that make the U.S. Passport the most secure documents in the world,” and Fox News quoting Pigott saying the identification booklets will include the “same security features.”

The passport rollout is presented as part of a broader America250 initiative that includes other events and a wider pattern of Trump’s image and signature appearing across federal programs and institutions.

Fox News said the America250 celebration includes “a Grand Prix race on the National Mall in August and a UFC fight on the White House South Lawn in June,” and it also described a “spectacular fireworks display at Mount Rushmore” as part of an Interior Department spokesperson’s statement.

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NBC News quoted a White House spokesperson, Olivia Wales, saying Trump’s “new patriotic passport design provides yet another great way Americans can join in the spectacular celebrations for America’s 250th birthday” and that Trump “continues to proudly lead a renewal of national pride and patriotism during our historic semiquincentennial celebration.”

Politico described the America250 initiative as including “a UFC fight at the White House and a Grand Prix street race in Washington, D.C.”

The Guardian placed the passports within a larger effort to “plaster his face across US institutions and documents,” pointing to banners with the president’s picture hung from the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Agriculture, and describing a Department of Justice building banner and other displays.

Forbes added that the administration’s aesthetic redesign is “to enshrine Trump and his personal style,” and it cited Georgetown University professor and passport history expert Edward Kolla saying, “No U.S. passport design in history has featured an image of the president and no head of any state has been pictured on a foreign passport.”

While the State Department described the passports as “limited,” outlets diverged on how many would be issued and on whether the number was confirmed.

The Guardian said the state department “would not confirm how many there would be,” even as it described the passports as limited-edition documents for the 250th anniversary.

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New York Post, by contrast, reported that the passports “are optional” and will have “a limited run of 250,000,” while also saying they “will be available in the Washington Passport Agency office.”

Thrifty Traveler reported that “The Bulwark, citing an unnamed official, reported the run will cap at 25,000 passports,” and it added context that “the U.S. issues well over 20 million passports a year.”

Fox News did not provide a specific cap number, but it said the designs will be available “for any American citizen” who applies and will continue “for as long as there is availability.”

People also said the department did not share how many special-edition documents it would be producing, even while it confirmed the passports would be released in July and only available at the Washington Passport Agency.