US passports to feature Trump’s image

Donald Trump’s signature is set to be added to US dollars. The US president’s name has been affixed to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. A plan to mint a 24-karat gold coin with his image is moving forward.

Now there are plans to release a limited-edition US passport bearing the president’s likeness.

The US state department revealed the plans on Tuesday, saying the new passports would be made available in commemoration of the country’s 250th anniversary this summer.

A “limited number of specially designed” passports will be released, according to Tommy Piggott, a spokesperson for the state department. They will be available for any US citizen who applies for one at the Washington Passport Agency when the passports are released and will continue for as long as inventory lasts, the department said.

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Pictures of the proposed design, which Piggott said will feature “customised artwork and enhanced imagery,” show a serious-looking Trump above his signature in gold ink.

There will be no additional cost for the Trump-themed passports, the state department said. It is unclear how many will be produced.

News of the passports was reported by The Bulwark and Fox News. The passport redesign is the latest example of the president or his allies pushing to put his name, image or signature on institutions in Washington and across the country. This year’s National Parks passes display his face alongside George Washington’s, and some of his administration’s initiatives, such as Trump savings accounts for children and TrumpRx, where Americans can buy prescription drugs directly, are named after him.

The passport redesign is the latest example of the president or his allies pushing to put his name, image or signature on institutions.

Some proposals have been unsuccessful, such as Trump’s pressure campaign on senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic minority leader, to rename New York’s Penn Station for him, in exchange for releasing billions of dollars in frozen federal infrastructure funds.

Others – such as adding Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center and the United States Institute of Peace – are caught up in litigation. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.