The Trump administration has unveiled a new limited edition US passport design featuring a photo of President Donald Trump to commemorate America’s 250th birthday.
In a post on social media on Friday, Trump shared a photo of the passport’s newly designed pages, one that includes an image of himself with his fists on the Resolute Desk with the Declaration of Independence in the background and his signature below.
The passports will become available on 6 July and only while supplies last, the US State Department said.
It’s the latest in a series of moves by the president to mark American institutions – including federal buildings, websites, and documents – with his name or likeness.
“The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!'” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The text “welcome but be good” does not appear in the images of the passport pages that Trump shared in his post.
The White House reshared the images on its own X account, dubbing the new document a “patriot passport”.
Access to the newly designed document is currently very limited, and passports are only available to American citizens.
Americans cannot apply online or via mail for the document, and must make an appointment for an in-person visit at the passport agency in Washington DC, according to the state department.
Applicants can also schedule appointments at a select number of special acceptance events designated specifically for the commemorative passport, the state department adds. Only two of such events are currently listed on the department’s website and are both at the Washington Passport Agency, the department says. More events will be added to the list as they are announced.
Current US passports depict scenes from the country’s history, such as the Moon landing, along with American symbols like the Statue of Liberty.
It is not clear if citizens who apply for passports in person at the Washington Passport Agency will be able to opt out of the special edition.
The commemorative passport was first announced in April, with a slightly different design that showed only Trump’s face and had his signature in gold rather than in black. It also did not include the numbers “250”.
It marks the first time a living, current president has been featured on a US passport.
The US Mint has also recently announced plans for a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump as part of the 250th anniversary this summer. The president is also set to become the first sitting US president to have his signature on American banknotes.
In addition to marking American documents with his name and likeness, Trump has sought to leave a permanent imprint on Washington DC, including adding his name to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – which was later removed – and announcing plans to construct a so-called Arc de Trump – a massive triumphal arch in Washington mirrored after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
By BBC News
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