A new passport design featuring Donald Trump, unveiled by the president in a social media post, has been met with alarm over its “creepy dictatorial vibe”, with some critics pointing out that the slogan suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of who the document is actually for.
Trump shared a sneak peek of the limited-edition America250 design passport on Truth Social Friday. “The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’ President DJT,” he wrote.
The design features a glowering Trump at the Resolute Desk in front of the text of the Declaration of Independence. The image appears to be based on an Oval Office portrait that replaced an earlier likeness of Trump at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery last July. However the words “Welcome, but be good!” do not appear to be anywhere on the passport pages shown in the images posted.
A U.S. passport is issued exclusively to American citizens for international travel — not to foreign visitors entering the country — so the “welcome” message sparked confusion online.
“Putting aside the creepy dictatorial vibe, it’s either hilarious or terrifying that Donald Trump clearly doesn’t know who passports are for,” commentator Tim Wise wrote on X.
open image in galleryAnother user, writing under the handle @trouble_man90, posted: “This goes back to what I've been saying about how no one around trump can convince him of anything. Not a single person in this entire process was able to get him to understand that passports are for Americans and welcoming them makes zero sense. So now our passports say welcome.”
Commentators also picked up on the warning to “be good.”
“Kim Jong Un thinks this is a bit much,” journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X.
Joshua Reed Eakle also criticized the design’s messaging and tone in a post on X.
“Passports are for U.S. citizens,” Eakle wrote. “So we don't need a welcome. And we don't need some narcissistic president who pretends he's a king telling us what's an acceptable way to act. This is what it means to be American.”
open image in galleryThe special-edition document marks the first time a living president has appeared on a U.S. passport.
Since Trump returned to office, he has taken a direct role in deciding how his administration is visually presented.
There is a well-documented history of Trump affixing his name and likeness to his properties and government programs, ranging from his private towers, golf courses and branded products to his recent pushes for self-styled federal monuments, banners of his face on government buildings and proposing a “Garden of American Heroes” filled with statues.
According to the State Department, availability for the document will be heavily restricted, meaning the vast majority of travelers will not receive it. Only 40,000 of the limited-edition commemorative passports will be produced.
The special document will only be issued to people who apply in person at the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C., starting July 6. It will serve as the default version at that single location while supplies last, and it will also be featured at the State Department's booth at the Great American State Fair, as reported by The Daily Signal.
The State Department confirmed that the commemorative passport would not be available to the general public through any other channels. It will not be issued to anyone applying for a passport online, through the mail, at U.S. embassies or consulates abroad, or at any other passport agency outside of the main D.C. location.
It remains unclear whether the graphic shared by Trump on social media represents the final, official version of the document or a preliminary mock-up, as the image differs from earlier rendering details released by the State Department.
The Independent has contacted the State Department for comment.
