State Department expands Trump passports nationwide
The State Department will offer limited-edition Trump-branded "Patriot Passports" nationwide next month at all 27 passport agencies, expanding beyond Washington, D.C. Officials plan to issue more than 250,000 of the America 250 commemorative documents featuring the president's portrait, available only via in-person applications on designated event days.
Key Takeaways
- All 27 U.S. passport agencies will offer the limited-edition Trump "Patriot Passport" starting next month.
- More than 250,000 commemorative passports are planned for national distribution.
- One-day special events begin August 8 in cities including Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Detroit.
- Applicants must apply in person on designated days listed on the State Department passport site.
- Trump is the first living president featured in a U.S. passport document.
What is changing with the Trump passport rollout?
Americans outside Washington, D.C., will soon be able to obtain limited-edition U.S. passports that feature a picture of Donald Trump and mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, according to The Guardian's report on the State Department announcement.
The special travel documents had previously been available only at the Washington, D.C., passport office for in-person applicants. Next month, the department's 27 passport agencies nationwide will begin offering them.
The government plans to issue more than 250,000 of the passports nationally and has dubbed them "Patriot Passports." Trump's stern portrait appears on an inside page, making him the first living president featured in the travel document.
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Where can Americans apply for Patriot Passports nationwide?
Passport offices in Centennial, Colorado; Chicago; Dallas; Detroit; New Orleans; New York; and Stamford, Connecticut, will offer the Trump passports at one-day special events starting on August 8. The State Department said the list will grow to include other passport offices.
Those who want the limited-edition version must apply in person on the day specified on the State Department's passport website. People seeking a traditional passport must apply on different days.
That split schedule means availability is event-based rather than open daily at every counter, even as access expands beyond the capital.
How do the commemorative passports differ from standard ones?
The commemorative passport features Trump's picture over a gold imprimatur of his signature on an interior page. The cover carries the words "United States of America" in bold gold print at the top and "Passport" at the bottom—a reversal of the current standard cover.
A small gold laminate American flag, with the number 250 encircled by stars, appears at the bottom of the back cover. By contrast, the only presidents shown in current U.S. passports appear in a Mount Rushmore depiction of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln.
Standard books also include imagery such as the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall, plus quotations from figures including Martin Luther King Jr. and several past presidents. The Trump edition is the latest high-profile use of his name and likeness on official commemorative items, alongside a U.S. Mint gold-finished coin for the nation's founding anniversary.