The State Department will begin issuing special edition passports featuring President Donald Trump's image this year as part of America's 250th anniversary celebration, the agency announced Tuesday.
The commemorative design places a large portrait of Trump over the Declaration of Independence and the American flag, with his signature rendered in gold lettering. A separate page will showcase the famous historical painting of the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration.
"These passports 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," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement to NBC News.
The special passport will serve as the default option at the Washington Passport Agency for the duration of its availability. Applicants seeking passports through other locations or online channels will continue to receive the standard design.
Whether a sitting president's portrait has ever appeared in a U.S. passport before remains unclear. The State Department did not respond to questions about the historical precedent of such a move.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales framed the passport redesign as part of a broader patriotic initiative. "Trump's new patriotic passport design provides yet another great way Americans can join in the spectacular celebrations for America's 250th birthday," she said, adding that Trump "continues to proudly lead a renewal of national pride and patriotism during our historic semiquincentennial celebration."
The passport marks the latest instance of the president's image and name appearing across federal government facilities and documents. In March, a Trump-appointed federal commission approved a 24-carat commemorative gold coin bearing his likeness to mark the 250th anniversary. That same month, the Treasury Department announced it would add Trump's signature to U.S. dollar bills, making him the first sitting president to appear on paper currency in this capacity. Historically, only the treasury secretary and treasurer have signed bills.
Beyond currency and travel documents, Trump's name and image have been placed on numerous federal buildings and programs. His name was added to the exterior of the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Large banners displaying his photograph have been hung from the Justice, Agriculture, and Labor department buildings. His administration has also attached his name to discount drug programs, savings accounts, and proposed warship designs.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Whether you see this as patriotic commemoration or unprecedented branding of federal documents, it's undeniably the most visible integration of a sitting president into routine government paperwork in modern history."
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