Trump passports debut, delighting some and dismaying others

WASHINGTON – Jennifer Pham could hardly contain her excitement for an upcoming vacation to Mexico with family and friends – and for her new passport with US President Donald Trump’s image in it.

Pham, of Oklahoma City, was among those who received the commemorative passports in Washington on July 6, the first day they were offered to the public. The limited-release US passports, intended to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, feature a stoic illustration of Trump on the inside cover.

“Trump is the president I love,” said Pham, 69, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 1975. “I will leave this for my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren, and they will know that their grandmother loved this country.”

About 40,000 of the documents, which the White House has called “patriot passports”, will be issued at no extra cost while supplies last, according to the State Department.

The passport features a monochrome portrait of Trump leaning forward with the Declaration of Independence behind him and his signature underneath.

The back of the booklet commemorates the semiquincentennial and includes an image of the founders gathered around the Declaration of Independence.

The Trump passports are available at only the Washington Passport Agency. Other agencies around the country and world will continue to issue standard US passports, according to the State Department.

The passports are the latest place Trump has inserted, or tried to insert, his name and likeness during his second term, following the Kennedy Center, the US Institute of Peace, US Navy warships, a proposed US$250 bill and more.

This is the first time a sitting US president has appeared on a passport.

The Trump passport was issued by default to applicants at the Washington agency on July 6.

Jadyn Afante, 19, of northern Virginia, had just submitted the forms to renew her passport and said she did not see or hear anything in the passport office to indicate she would get the version with Trump on it. She found that upsetting.

“Someone that doesn’t care about immigrants shouldn’t be on a passport,” Afante said.

“This leaves me feeling quite sad,” she said. “If only I did this a week before.”

Two people who came to apply for or renew passports said workers told them the only way to opt out of the Trump version was to request a passport with extra pages. Hardly anyone getting a passport, however, seemed to know that was an option.

The State Department said in a statement only that “those applying for a standard-length passport” would receive the Trump version.

Many people had come for last-minute passports just days – or hours – before travelling. Several said they were less than thrilled to learn that Trump’s image would greet them when they opened the cover, but they did not have enough time to change course.

Trump’s image on the passport “seems a little silly to me”, said Jackson Baselice, 21, of North Carolina. “I would be frustrated if people internationally had predisposed judgments about me because of it.”

But with a flight to France booked for tomorrow, he had no other choice.

Some applicants designed their travel plans around the passport.

Blake Marnell, 61, a Trump fan from San Diego who is known for wearing a brick-patterned suit to the president’s rallies to show his support of a border wall, was among the first people to receive the commemorative passport, just before 11am.

“I’m stoked!” Marnell shouted as he stepped out of the office, passport raised above his head. A handful of people gathered around him to examine its pages. Marnell said he planned to drive from Washington to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.

Sami Aldawood, 37, became a US citizen a week ago and came to Washington from his home in Austin, Texas, to get the Trump passport before flying to Britain on the night of July 6.

Originally from Iraq, he said he supported the president because he was granted asylum in the United States during Trump’s first term, and citizenship during his second.

“I’m proud of it,” he said, flipping through the blank pages. “It’s been a long journey.”

But not everyone who wanted a Trump passport got one.

Nancy and Bill Thomas, Trump supporters from Washington state, were turned away because they did not have an appointment. Passport office staff told customers on July 6 that they could help only people who had made appointments.

The couple, both 70, had hoped to use their new passports to travel to Italy, their first time leaving the United States. But when they finally got through to make an appointment by phone, they learnt they would have to wait until July 13. They fly back to Washington state July 8.

“We’ll just do it at home,” Thomas said, “but it won’t be the same.”