A limited-edition U.S. passport featuring an illustration of President Donald Trump was made available on July 6 at the Washington Passport Agency, eliciting a range of reactions among applicants. The special passports commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and include a monochrome portrait of Trump alongside the Declaration of Independence inside the cover. Approximately 40,000 of these “patriot passports” will be issued at no extra cost while supplies last.
The State Department confirmed that this commemorative version is only available at the Washington Passport Agency, with other locations continuing to issue standard passports. Applicants receiving standard-length passports at the Washington agency are automatically issued the Trump version, with the only alternative being to request a passport with additional pages—a choice many applicants said they were unaware of.
Supporters like Jennifer Pham of Oklahoma City expressed enthusiasm about the special passport. Pham, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 1975, described the document as a meaningful keepsake for future generations. “Trump is the president I love,” she said, noting her plans to gift the passport to her grandchildren.
Other applicants were less pleased or conflicted. Judy Atlante, 19, from Northern Virginia, was displeased to receive the Trump passport without being informed of the design beforehand. “Someone who doesn’t care about immigrants shouldn’t be on a passport,” she said. Similarly, Jackson Basice, 21, of North Carolina, described the inclusion of Trump’s image as “a little silly” and worried it might affect international perceptions of American travelers. However, with travel imminent, Basice said changing passports was not a feasible option.
Some individuals specifically sought out the commemorative passport as a symbol of support. Blake Marnell, known for his conspicuous pro-Trump attire, was among the first to receive the passport and expressed excitement about showing it during his upcoming trip to Niagara Falls. Sami Aldawood, a newly naturalized citizen originally from Iraq, also sought the passport before traveling to Britain, citing gratitude for the asylum and citizenship he received during Trump’s administration.
Not all interested applicants were able to obtain the Trump passport quickly. Nancy and Bill Thomas, longtime Trump supporters from Washington State, were turned away for lacking an appointment and subsequently faced delays in making one. The couple planned to use the passport for their first trip outside the country, to Italy, but indicated that obtaining the document later would diminish the experience.
This commemorative passport represents the first instance of a sitting U.S. president’s likeness appearing on the travel document, marking an unusual step in the personalization of government identification. The initiative follows a series of previous efforts by Trump to associate his name and image with public institutions and currency during his presidency. The State Department has maintained a neutral stance, emphasizing the limited release and availability conditions but offering little detail on the selection process for the design.