Red, White, and who? Trump takes center page in new US passport

TOI Correspondent from Washington: The US State Department is preparing to roll out a limited-edition “Trump passport” to mark America’s 250th birthday – a glossy, gold-accented document that is equal parts travel permit, commemorative souvenir, and a divisive red flag, an ode to both American independence and, critics say, presidential narcissism.

The redesigned passport, slated for a summer debut pending final approval, keeps the familiar navy exterior but tweaks it just enough to announce the occasion. “United States of America” will loom larger and higher on the cover, perched above the crest like a headline that insists on being read first. Flip it over, and the back features a stylized American flag with “250” nestled between the original 13 stars.

But it is the inside that has Washington tongues wagging.

Where the current passport offers a quietly poetic tableau—Francis Scott Key at the bombardment of Fort McHenry, with the closing lines of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” an anthem written on an India (Wadia) built ship —the commemorative version opts for something more… contemporary. A portrait of Donald Trump superimposed over the Declaration of Independence, underscored by his signature – in gold.

Supporters see all this as fitting, even overdue. To them, Trump is not merely a political figure but a defining character of the age—disruptive and therefore historically significant. Placing him at the center of a 250th anniversary celebration, they argue, reflects the living, evolving nature of the republic. Why freeze history at powdered wigs when it can include red ties?

Critics, however, detect something less civic-minded and more narcissistic. They note that no modern U.S. passport has ever featured a sitting president, and that even globally, passports tend to avoid doubling as personality tributes. “Wacky” is how Edward Kolla, a Georgetown University professor and expert on the history of passports, put it, before escalating in other forums to “insane”—a scholarly progression that suggests the design has tested even academic vocabulary.

The administration shrugs off such concerns, noting that the commemorative passports will be limited in number and optional for applicants. Only 25,000 copies are planned. Those who prefer a less presidentially immersive experience can still opt for the standard version.

The commemorative impulse extends well beyond passports. The Treasury Department is preparing a $1 coin bearing Trump’s likeness for general circulation, along with a gold coin for collectors. The National Park Service is reportedly adding Trump’s face to park passes, ensuring that even America’s most pristine landscapes come with a presidential watermark.

The redesigned passport and the commemorative gee-gaws are part of the administration’s sweeping “America250” campaign, an anniversary program that appears determined to ensure the semiquincentennial is anything but subtle. Among the marquee events: a Grand Prix-style race down the National Mall in August and a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout scheduled for the White House South Lawn in June -- because nothing says constitutional democracy like a cage fight within sight of the Rose Garden.

If the Founding Fathers envisioned fireworks and parades, they may not have anticipated mixed martial arts and high-speed racing as the natural evolution of republican celebration. But then again, they also didn’t anticipate Instagram and TikTok.