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We talked about the Great American Struggle Fair yesterday, Donald Trump’s sad sack festivities on the National Mall to mark our nation’s 250th birthday. And when I use words like “struggle” and “sad sack,” I’m not being mean but factual: the ice cream is melting, the ride (singular) is stalling, and performers are canceling over pretend weather to escape the embarrassment of playing to packed fields of grass leaves. And this whole thing is free! It’s like the mantra of Field of Dreams decided to give Trump the middle finger. I can get behind that. Still, it’s all very bittersweet for those of us who love our country. Many of you shared memories of marking America’s 200th, and I so enjoyed reading them! I wasn’t there myself, but one of my treasured possessions is a quilt that was made for the bicentennial, where each state is represented by a square embroidered with the state flower. I found it hidden in a big antique store many years ago and it keeps me warm in bed each night.
Well, Donny Dictator is also thinking about posterior posterity, and how he can slap his gruesome mug onto anything to do with the semiquincentennial. Personally, all I need is a video of him trying to say the word “semiquincentennial,” (acetaminophen, anyone?) but instead he’s rolling out commemorative passports. He first announced this vanity project in April, but the state department just released new details, including a different photo of Dear Leader than previously shown:
Donald Trump’s efforts to brand the US government with his name and image advanced on Friday when the White House unveiled new images of a passport watermarked with his portrait to mark America’s 250th anniversary.
The White House called it simply the “patriot passport”, while on Truth Social the president introduced it as “The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’”
The state department says the limited-edition commemorative US passport was created “to commemorate the historic occasion of America’s 250th anniversary and will be issued at the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, DC starting on July 6, 2026, while supplies last”.
The state department said it would issue a commemorative passport in April, but the finished item features different artwork.
The previous headshot of the president, looking stern, had been replaced with a three-quarter-length portrait of him leaning over the Resolute desk with balled fists, taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok, with Trump looking sterner. The photo also hangs in the Smithsonian America’s Presidents exhibition.
Trump’s portrait is surrounded by text from the declaration of independence, with his signature and “United States of America” written underneath.
The facing page shows an image of the founders signing the declaration of independence that appears to be based on a painting by John Trumbull currently on display at the Yale University Art Gallery.
Beyond his gaze, at least one of Trump’s signature decorative flourishes appears on the passport — it comes with a “Freedom 250” gold flag on the back cover. Previously Trump’s signature was in gold, and “250” did not appear. Now his signature is in black and “250” is written in gold.
The plans for Trump coins and the passport have been criticized by Democrats.
…Gavin Newsom, the California governor, mocked the Trump passport plan when it was first mooted with a mock-up of a gold-hued driver’s license featuring his own face.
Another thing many of you mentioned in the comments yesterday was the brilliant renaming of Trump’s efforts to “Freedumb 250.” I feel that’s important to bring up now, because only a president as dumb as this one would come up with the message, “Welcome, but be good!” for US passports. PASSPORTS, which citizens use to travel out of the country, as opposed to VISAS which grant access into the country. Dumb, thy name is Don. And on that note, while Trump’s Truth Social post suggests he thinks these are the new regular passports, rest assured that they are limited edition and will only be issued in person at that one DC passport agency, not to anyone applying online, by mail, or at any other location. As for how limited is limited edition, Forbes cites 25-30,000. You know how this administration over promises and under delivers on, well, everything? I think the claim “while supplies last” is gonna come to bite them in the posterity posterior.
PS — The photo change assessment of “from stern to sterner” is excellent. As is that send-up Newsom did for a driver’s license honoring California’s 175th anniversary.
IN HONOR OF CALIFORNIA’S 175TH ANNIVERSARY, WE WILL BE ROLLING OUT A VERY SPECIAL DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR EVERY CALIFORNIAN THIS SUMMER! IT WILL FEATURE A HANDSOME, HIGH-QUALITY PHOTO OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM. MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT’S THE BEST LICENSE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF… pic.twitter.com/svCAc9oNkw
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 29, 2026
Lmao Dr. Oz and Dean Cain are on stage at Trump’s dumpster fire state fair talking about the “tons of people” there and then the camera does a 360
pic.twitter.com/8jRf0GiPSD
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) June 29, 2026
