With face on passport, why Trump is going where no other world leader has
Banners on government buildings? Yes. Photo on a passport? Yes. The American president is indulging in an overenthusiastic branding exercise, placing his name and face everywhere. Until now, no other leader, not even North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, has placed their face on the travel document
Donald Trump loves himself. If you are looking for evidence of this, the US State Department’s latest move of commemorative passports with the face of the US president on them is proof.
Yes, you read that right. The US will soon begin issuing passports featuring an image of President Donald Trump inside. US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott noted on Tuesday, “As the US 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.”
However, the passport is just the latest in Trump’s effort to plaster his face across US institutions and documents. He’s also unveiled government programmes in his name, and soon, his name will also be making its way into many Americans’ wallets, as the Treasury Department announced that the US president’s signature will appear on future currency.
More from ExplainersTrump puts his stamp on the US passports
On Tuesday, the US State Department revealed a new passport design to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.
The mockup of the passports show a blue and white image of Trump’s face in the middle of the text of the Declaration of Independence, with his signature, in gold, below. Another page of the passport includes an image from John Trumbull’s famous 1819 “Declaration of Independence” painting, which depicts the founding fathers gathered for the signing of the document.
The front and back of the new passports will also differ. Currently, the front cover reads ‘passport’ in gold text above a rendering of the image of a bald eagle from the centre of the seal of the United States, with ‘United States of America’ in smaller text beneath it. However, in the new passports, the ‘United States of America’ will be featured larger at the top of the cover, and ‘passport’ will be lower down.
The US State Department has said that there will be no extra fee levied for the commemorative passports, and they will be available to any American citizen who applies for a passport amid the rollout period.
They haven’t specified how many such passports will be released, but refuted reports that 2,500 such passports will be created.
Trump, Trump everywhere
The appearance of Trump’s photo on the passport is just the latest example of how the US president is trying to establish his brand presence everywhere.
Banners bearing Trump’s face have popped up on several government buildings. In February, a Trump banner appeared on the Department of Justice building in Washington, DC. Last August, another large banner featuring his image was hung on the Department of Labour building alongside a banner of President Theodore Roosevelt, who was known for advocating for American workers. Both banners read, “American Workers First.”
Similarly, last June, a banner of Trump’s face was placed alongside one of President Abraham Lincoln on the front of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) building.
Not just banners, however. Trump has also renamed some buildings in his second term. The most famous examples are of the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, which is currently named as ‘The Trump Kennedy Centre’. There’s also the United States Institute of Peace.
There’s also government programmes that have been named after him. For instance, the Trump Gold Card programme that grants foreigners “green card privileges.”
Last December, the US president also announced the construction of “Trump-class” battleships. Construction of the warships, which Trump said will be part of a “golden fleet,” is slated to begin in the early 2030s.
And earlier this month, the Commission of Fine Arts approved a design this month for a commemorative 24-karat gold coin emblazoned with the image of a stern-faced Trump leaning over a desk.
Not just this, there’s more to come. Trump’s signature will appear along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s. This mark the first time a sitting president’s signature will go on paper currency. And to complete this picture, there’s also the upcoming construction of the 250-foot golden victory arch — internally referred to as the “Arc de Trump”.
Trump’s branding exercise unlike any other
Many US watchers and Democrats note that Trump’s splashy indulgence is part of his personal branding exercise. Many experts note that this renaming exercise and trying to add his photo to every possible surface have to do with him trying to perpetuate the ‘hero myth.
He wants to perpetuate the belief of him being larger than life, noted one expert. A report in The Fortune notes that such attempts by the US president are his way to prove a greatness that history has not yet conferred.
The US president fancies himself as the ultimate showman, and what better way to do that than by adding his name and photos to structures and documents?
Democrats have also referred to the latest branding effort as a vanity project, slamming Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “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,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Democrats wrote on X.
Many have also pointed out that no country has passports with images of world leaders, not even North Korea. In fact, the country, which has one of the most intense personality cults in the world, doesn’t carry images of leader Kim Jong Un, but depicts the sacred Mount Paektu.
Glen Kessler, a former Washington Post fact-checker, even noted that neither Adolf Hitler nor Joseph Stalin put their images on passports either.
The United Kingdom, a US ally, also only has the King’s Coat of Arms on the passport. Earlier, passports featured Queen Elizabeth II’s coat of arms.
Similarly, passports from the country of Brunei feature the national coat of arms of Brunei Darussalam in the centre of its front cover.
We have to wait and watch to see what Trump renames next. Will the White House become the Trump House?
With inputs from agencies
Roshneesh is on the Explainers team and loves her job. Apart from the everyday 'explaining', she enjoys tennis and is a Rafa fan for life. She is also a Potterhead.
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