White House unveils limited edition ‘patriot passport’ bearing Trump's portrait

US President Donald Trump has become the first living American president to be featured in a US passport after the White House on Wednesday unveiled a limited-edition “Patriot Passport” bearing his portrait on the inside cover.

Sharing the first look of the passport, the White House posted, “Patriot passport unlocked. Limited edition. Stamped for America 250.”

The special-edition passports are part of wider celebrations planned for the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, with nationwide events scheduled for next July.

Images released by the White House show Trump’s portrait incorporated into the design alongside elements of the Declaration of Independence and the American flag. The design also features the president’s signature in gold.

The White House later shared a video showing the passport design in detail, revealing a standard deep blue exterior and Trump’s portrait printed on the inside cover. The video was captioned only with the US flag emoji.

“President Trump's new patriotic passport design provides yet another great way Americans can join in the spectacular celebrations for America's 250th birthday,” a White House spokesperson told the BBC.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told NBC News, “As the United States celebrates America’s 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed US Passports to commemorate this historic occasion.”

The commemorative passports will be made available to US citizens applying through the Washington Passport Agency.

However, the move drew criticism from opposition leaders.

Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said, “Putting Donald Trump’s face on US passports is absurd.” He added, “These documents represent the American people — not one man's megalomania.”

Lawmakers from the Democratic Party also criticised Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the initiative.

“Secretary Rubio should spend more time convincing his boss to end his war of choice in Iran, and less on wasting American tax dollars indulging Trump's vanity,” Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote on X.

The passport redesign is the latest in a series of efforts by Trump and his administration to place his name, image, or signature on federal institutions and commemorative initiatives.

Last month, the Treasury Department announced that Trump’s signature would begin appearing on US currency.

The United States Mint has also released draft designs for a $1 coin featuring Trump’s profile as part of the America 250 celebrations.