This rendering released by the State Department in Washington, April 28, 2026, shows a U.S. passport with the image and signature of U.S. President Donald Trump.
US Department of State | via Reuters
President Donald Trump’s face should not be printed on special edition U.S. passports, a group led by Democratic senators said in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
In a letter first shared with CNBC, the group, led by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, called on Rubio to halt plans to issue a limited number of passports featuring President Trump to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“A portrait of a sitting U.S. president has never been featured on a U.S. passport, and it should never be. Given the anti-democratic implications of this decision, we urge these plans to be halted,” the group said.
The letter was signed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Sen. Angus King (D-Maine), who caucus with the Democratic Party.
The State Department announced in April that it would release a limited edition passport through X that includes a “sneak peek” of President Trump’s portrait superimposed on the Declaration of Independence.
Mr. Trump, with the support of his allies in Congress, has made it a priority in his second term to have his name and likeness on many things.
His likeness will appear on the 2026 America the Beautiful National Park Annual Pass and will also appear on the 250th anniversary gold coin, while another effort is underway to put his face on a special edition $1 coin. President Trump’s signature will also be engraved on the dollar bill to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, marking the first time in history that a sitting president has left such an imprint on a dollar bill. Federal departments around Washington, including Agriculture, Justice and Labor, have banners with Trump’s likeness on their facades.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are on a path to unprecedented economic growth, sustained dollar dominance, and fiscal strength and stability,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement announcing the currency plan in March. “There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic accomplishments of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than with a U.S. dollar bill bearing his name, and it is only fitting that this historic currency be issued on its semi-quincentennial anniversary.”
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers this Congress have introduced legislation that would place his likeness on Mount Rushmore, rename Dulles International Airport in his honor and make his birthday a national holiday. And President Trump is calling for a 250-foot-tall “Arch of Triumph” to be built near Arlington National Cemetery and a $40 million “statuary garden” of “American heroes” near the National Mall.
Democrats are trying to reject these proposals. In December, Merkley, along with Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), introduced a bill that would prevent President Trump’s face from appearing on the $1 coin. In January, he worked with Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) to introduce a measure that would block President Trump from granting national park access.
In a letter to Rubio, the lawmakers asked questions including how much it would cost taxpayers, how the design was chosen and whether there would be any opt-out options.
“Using our nation’s 500th anniversary to raise the profile of our current president risks turning a milestone of national unity into a vehicle for personal advancement,” the senators wrote. “Proceeding with this process risks politicizing a document that is central to our national identity and could impose unnecessary and wasteful costs on American taxpayers.”
Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect that Sen. Angus King is from Maine.
