Kenneth Glad
A limited-edition U.S. passport meant to mark the country’s 250th anniversary is drawing scrutiny in Washington and beyond. What began as a symbolic project has quickly turned into a political flashpoint. At the center of the reaction is one detail: The inclusion of President Donald Trump’s image.
According to the Associated Press, the proposed passport would feature Trump, making him the first living U.S. president to appear in the document.
The release is expected to be limited, with distribution focused on in-person applications in Washington ahead of July 4.
That detail alone was enough to spark criticism.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez dismissed the idea in an interview with MeidasTouch Network, saying, “It’s giving Monopoly money.”
She went further, suggesting Trump was “jealous that Mount Rushmore got a page and you’ve got four presidents in there and he’s probably saying, ‘Why don’t I get a passport page?’”
Her remarks hint at a broader concern among critics: that the move is less about commemoration and more about visibility.
A question of boundaries
Others have framed the issue more directly. As reported by Euronews, Representative Mike Levin linked the passport proposal to other efforts to place Trump’s name or likeness on public-facing symbols.
“No sitting president has ever done this. Coins, park passes, battleships, and now your passport. The man cannot find a surface he will not slap his name or face on. This is not patriotism. It is vanity,” he said.
That argument has been echoed online, where many responses focus on whether a government-issued document should carry the image of a current leader at all. For some, the concern is practical. For others, it is about tradition.
Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove offered a sharply worded personal reaction to HuffPost: “It makes me not want to have a passport because lord knows when I’m traveling, I don’t want to have to turn the page and everybody sees that orange turd on my passport.”
What’s changing
Officials have stressed that the commemorative passport is a one-off tied to the anniversary, not a permanent redesign. It would introduce new visual elements but keep existing security features intact.
“These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. passport the most secure documents in the world,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said, according to the Associated Press.
Still, the shift stands out. Current passports highlight historical figures such as Washington and Lincoln, along with national landmarks. Living presidents have not been part of that visual identity.
That is the sticking point. Not the artwork itself, but who appears in it.
Sources: Associated Press, Euronews, HuffPost
