A U.S. passport that includes a picture and signature of U.S. President Donald Trump is seen on this rendering launched by the State Division, in Washington, April 28, 2026.
U.S. State Division | By way of Reuters
President Donald Trump’s face shouldn’t be printed on a particular version U.S. passport, a bunch led by Democratic senators mentioned in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
The group, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., within the letter shared first with CNBC, referred to as on Rubio to halt plans to subject a restricted variety of passports that includes Trump to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“The U.S. passport has by no means — and mustn’t now — function a picture of a sitting U.S. president. We ask you to halt these plans given the anti-democratic impression this resolution could have,” the group wrote.
The letter was signed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with Democrats.
The State Division introduced by way of X in April that it might launch the restricted version passports and included a “sneak peak,” which featured Trump’s likeness superimposed over the Declaration of Independence.
Trump, with help from his congressional allies, has made a degree of placing his identify and likeness on a wide range of issues in his second time period.
His picture seems on the 2026 America the Lovely Nationwide Parks annual move and can seem on a 250th anniversary gold coin, whereas one other effort is afoot to get his face on a particular version $1 coin. Additionally in honor of America’s 250th, Trump’s signature will seem on greenback payments, the primary time a sitting president will go away such an imprint on paper foreign money within the historical past of the U.S. Federal departments round Washington, together with Agriculture, Justice and Labor, have hung banners from their facades that includes Trump’s likeness.
“Below President Trump’s management, we’re on a path towards unprecedented financial development, lasting greenback dominance, and financial power and stability,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned in a press release asserting the foreign money plan in March. “There isn’t any extra highly effective strategy to acknowledge the historic achievements of our nice nation and President Donald J. Trump than U.S greenback payments bearing his identify, and it’s only acceptable that this historic foreign money be issued on the Semiquincentennial.”
In the meantime, GOP lawmakers this Congress have launched laws to place his picture on Mount Rushmore, rename Dulles Worldwide Airport in his honor and declare his birthday a nationwide vacation. And Trump is urgent for a 250-foot “triumphal arch” to be constructed close to Arlington Nationwide Cemetery and a $40 million “statue backyard” of “American heroes” close to the Nationwide Mall.
Democrats have tried to push again on these proposals. Merkley in December launched laws with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., to dam inserting Trump’s face on a $1 coin. In January, he teamed up with Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., to introduce a measure that may block Trump’s nationwide park passes.
Within the letter to Rubio, the lawmakers requested what the price to taxpayers can be, how the design was chosen and whether or not there can be an choice to decide out.
“Utilizing our nation’s semiquincentennial to raise the profile of the present president dangers turning a unifying nationwide milestone right into a automobile for private promotion,” the senators wrote. “Continuing would threat politicizing a doc that’s central to our nationwide id and will lead to pointless and wasteful prices to the American taxpayer.”
Correction: This story has been corrected to mirror that Sen. Angus King is from Maine.
