President Trump says America’s new limited-edition 250th anniversary passport says, “Welcome, but be good!” I assume he does not literally mean that phrase will appear in the passport, but the fact that we even have to ask says plenty.
Trump Passport With His Own Image Is A Sad 250th Birthday Gift To America
President Donald Trump has unveiled what he describes as the United States’ new limited-edition passport for America’s 250th birthday, and this optional passport design is really something.
As One Mile At A Time notes, Trump posted an image of the passport design showing his own likeness inside the document, alongside patriotic imagery, his signature, and text from the Declaration of Independence.
Trump wrote:
“The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’”
I assume he does not literally mean that the passport itself will say “Welcome, but be good!” Passports are not welcome brochures for visitors…the phrase sounds more like something you would put on a novelty doormat than inside a document meant to represent the United States abroad.
But even if the line is just Trump being Trump, the larger issue is not funny. Yes, I’m going to get political today.
This Is Not How A Republic Should Celebrate 250 Years
The State Department says the limited-edition passport commemorates America’s 250th anniversary and includes special artwork while retaining the security features of the standard U.S. passport. Fine. A commemorative passport design is not inherently objectionable.
But putting the image of a sitting president inside an American passport is something else entirely (and apparently in multiple places).
As we approach America’s 250th birthday, this feels like the antithesis of the example George Washington set. Washington could have ridden into power as something close to a king. Instead, he resigned his military commission after the Revolution and later chose not to seek a third presidential term. That restraint helped define the American presidency as an office, not a throne.
That is why this passport design is so unbecoming.
A U.S. passport should not be a campaign trinket or a loyalty badge to the current occupant of the White House. It should represent the nation…not one man. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the flag, the Founders, the national parks, or even the messy miracle of American self-government without placing the president’s portrait, an egotistical and self-aggrandizing move (par for the course for DJT).
Where else do we see this sort of thing? North Korea comes to mind. Turkmenistan comes to mind. That may sound harsh, but personality cults do not begin with one giant leap. They grow through little acts of flattery that normalize the idea that the state and the leader are one and the same.
That is not supposed to be us…
Government Of The People, Not Government Of The Man
The United States is a representative republic. We still repeat, as shallow as it sometimes feels in this era, Lincoln’s words about government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Those words do not sit comfortably next to an official travel document featuring the sitting president’s face and signature. I understand that Trump supporters will say this is just patriotic, or that critics are overreacting (as if this is the POTUS trolling), or that it is only a limited-edition passport. Perhaps. But symbols matter, as do passports. The United States should be especially careful about turning civic objects into tributes to living politicians.
There is also something painfully small about it. America turns 250, and rather than letting the country itself be the subject, the president is trying to make himself the subject. That is not strength. It is insecurity dressed up as patriotism, just like his recent “joke” at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference:
“250 years ago next week, our founders invoked the Creator four times in the Declaration of Independence. Four times. I wasn’t mentioned once. I’m very upset. Not once!”
I’m not laughing…and isn’t ironic that Trump blocks the words of the Declaration of Independence in the image above, subliminally (or maybe overtly) declaring that he sees himself and front center, not the simple but profound document that chartered our path toward independence from the British crown.
CONCLUSION
A limited-edition U.S. passport celebrating America’s 250th anniversary could have been tasteful, dignified, and broadly unifying. Instead, we get a passport design featuring Donald Trump’s image and a post declaring, “Welcome, but be good!”
I assume that phrase will not literally appear inside the passport. But the image itself is already enough. For now, sycophants can get their limited-edition passports. Hurry, while supplies last.
The rest of us can hope that America’s 250th birthday is remembered for more than another exercise in personal branding.
> Read More: Trump Puts His Portrait Inside New U.S. Passports
Trump is obsessed with getting his name one everything he touches. He is an egotist extraordinaire. Which typically indicates insecurity. Anyone who shows that passport anywhere outside of the Trumpian universe (Florida) is likely to get laughed at and ridiculed. Well perhaps not in North Korea or Russia.
And good citizens will do whatever it takes to get his name removed from everything once this era is done.
How many people who want one of these actually have a need for a passport?
A worse thing is that passports are no longer stamped by the US, EU, Australia, Singapore, UK, etc. Trump should ask them to resume stamping passports and, if no compliance, then bomb the non-compliant countries.
If you travel a lot, those stamps are actually a burden, since some counties demand a full page or two, and unless you opt for the larger 52 page booklet, you may run out of space before your typical 10 year renewal.
First these are OPTIONAL, 2nd today’s edition of “where did Trump touch you”.
He does this stuff because he knows how unhinged the far left gets over this nonsense. Commies are trying to take over America and this is the biggest concern of someone.
TDS is real with Matthew and many of the elites here thriving personally under Trump, but dreaming of the days when Republicans got cucked by the media daily.
That doesn’t make it okay, dipsh*t
Give just one example of what the “Commies” are doing to try and take over the country, citing any non-partisan news source, even Fox. Just one.
Yet another example that the education crisis in the United States is not related to STEM, but civics.
Well, since you asked:
The core tenet of communism is “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” or to use a more current term, income re-distribution.
The June 25th edition of the Wall Street Journal’s continued reporting on California’s Billionaire Tax ballot initiative sponsored by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, which has a membership of about 100,000.
The same article reported that in an independent poll, 76% of likely Democratic voters and 54% of voters overall support the ballot initiative.
So to paraphrase Forest Gump, communists are as communists do; we’ve seen the “do” in California, in a few months we’ll see the “are”.
Kyle – you should get off the internet and get over to a turkish hair loss clinic. The only cuck here is your retreating hairline and braindead smile.
Your TDS is shwoing. Please get help. Thanks.
+1
Kyle – you have restored my faith that not all travel blogger viewers are not infected by TDS. Well said
Oh no, someone insulted cult leader. Trump is a pig.
Very sad and disappointing that Live and Let’s Fly couldn’t be bothered to tell the whole truth on this cheap and disgraceful antic by adding just a couple of lines at the top of the post informing their visitors that the Trump Passport is optional and only available if one applies or renews in-person at the Washington, D.C. passport office; anyone applying or renewing online or at another passport office will get the standard passport.
Thirty-four words in total, doesn’t seem like a big ask.
Odd behaviour from a points-and-miles guy given that us P&M-types are always looking for the workaround and a way to get what we want (or don’t want in this case) in a given travel situation.
Not happy that I had to give the NPR website a wee bit of engagement but, even though the folks at NPR are afflicted with a debilitating case of TDR, at least they almost always give all the facts, which is what L&LF should have done given their obvious disdain for this latest shameful Trump stunt.
I guess a few seconds of visitor engagement trumps balanced a balanced post, which makes me wonder what else I should check up on after reading a L&LF post.
This is my second article on the topic. Check the first article – I make the optional nature of it very clear…
I was unaware of the first article and now that it’s existence has been pointed out, it makes me wonder why there was the need for a second article at all, given that other more-or-less reputable media that even found this newsworthy mentioned it back in April.
More so the need for your second comment. This post was clearly focused on the wording, “Welcome, But Be Good.”
Now go enjoy your empty celebrations of America’s 250th in DC and another rousing performance by Lee Greenwood.
So glad I had just renewed mine before this one came out.
Matt – please leave the politics out of it. Increasingly you are opining about your dislike about the current administration. It is getting tiring.
I wish the current administration would stop doing things that I dislike! My plan was to put a positive focus on things for July 4th and I’ll still do a series next week on the 250th anniversary, but had to comment on this travel-related issue..I find it indefensible. You’re free to disagree and we can even respectfully debate it – we don’t need ideological purity here and I don’t try to silence your opinion or that of others…but politics is interwoven in life and travel and it’s hard to avoid.
Hey Matthew,
United and Southwest came out with patriotic specialty livery painted on some of their planes. Delta has a America 250 decal.
Which ones do you like best?
@John. Are you Matthew’s editor?
Clown doesn’t understand what a passport is, but controls a nuclear arsenal.
Don’t worry, they haven’t given him the real launch codes.
I’m so disappointed to be an American now. No respect from any other country (unless they are fascist, or if they put on a good face to try to make international relations work somehow).
Over 30 years I served in the military defending this country’s ideals, and we end up with this pr*ck.
Hear You. Many are disappointed. Don’t let the distraction stop you from going forward to hold on to reality. That is what they are hoping to tire us out . Ignore them.
Jrg. Thank you for your service to our nation!
Although I didn’t make the military a career, I did serve during a very divided time when the military was neither liked nor respected by an awful lot of Americans but most of us then serving knew that the reason we served was so that the people back home had that most sacred freedom: choice.
Of course, most of us at the time unsurprisingly thought that America had chosen wrong, but that’s the funny thing about choice: for choice to be worth anything, and most importantly for those with the dedication and steel to step up and put on a uniform and risk their life, people must be free to make the wrong choice.
Very disappointing 50 years on from America’s last big birthday bash and all the heartbreak along the way that so many Americans still have not learned that fundamental truth about being part of a democracy.
Part of a Democracy? In what way is that the case? Far more now real Americans are defending democracy much more than you pretend to have ever in your battles thousands of miles away in another country. And how did that end? Oh wait, but MAGA was supposed to be opposed to endless wars against unconventional enemies. It’s all so confusing. Or you are all a bunch of convenient policy hawks.
Storming the Capitol. Attempting to overturn elections. Doing everything possible to rig elections in the future. Enriching a political family and their cronies in plain sight. Lying to the American people day in and day out about everything from reflecting pools to the great “communist incursion.” Dismissing proper health care. Destroying Social Security. Empowering the billionaire class within government. It goes on and on… Your Democracy is one of fear to derail it. Mine is one of hope to encourage it.
So, yes, we know full well about freedom and democracy. For MAGA, Freedom is enriching themselves and controlling power. For MAGA, Democracy is inconvenient to that process. For Moderates like me, the majority in fact, we think the entire lot of you, far right and far left are a bunch of lunatics that are destroying this country quickly.
I’m no fan of DJT, but don’t you be fair, and mention that people on the left were trying their hardest to overturn the 2016 election?
People on the left trying to overturn the 2016 election? Like storming the capital? Oh wait, that was 2020 by people on the right. Maybe filing 60 court cases so baseless they got thrown out even by Judges appointed by the party that initiated them? Oops, again 2020 by Trump. Well maybe they tried slates of electors claiming they were legitimate electors even though their candidate lost? Oh oh. Trump again in 2020. How about calling the person in charge of elections in a state Hillory had lost and ask him to find enough votes that she had won it? Nope. Trump again.
Please give me one credible source for your claim. Note: Saying Hillary won the popular vote and that the Electoral College should be reformed while still admitting that according to the rules Trump won doesn’t count.
Monons like the author of this drivel look to find any excuse to criticize President Trump. This “author” conviently left out the aforementioned part that these new pssports are optional. Apparently this “author” has chosen to kiss the as of liberals (who find fault with and whine about everything President Trump does) in order to get “clicks”.
So you think this is a good idea? Would you have been OK with an optional passport featuring the inauguration of Obama as well?
That doesn’t make it okay, you moron
@David Miller: Why are you such a snowflake? Can’t you just disagree and tell me why I’m wrong without resorting to ad hominem attacks?
@David Miller
Perhaps, more importantly, you should consider getting a new keyboard. They are like $40. Or, if that’s not the reason for the endless typos please show patience in your anger typing? It’s hard to take a MAGA person seriously as it is. Your typing doesn’t help.
Perhaps before you post further, you could learn to spell?
DJT believes his own narrative. So fragile is his ego his followers must adhere to a child like fantasy or face expulsion. If it’s the passport, the ballroom or a Reflecting Pool ignore him. Most Americans have greater concerns to conquer. We should work towards that.
*bingo*
Thank you!
Today it’s an optional design. Tomorrow it’s the only design. This is how democracies sink into authoritarianism.
Don’t worry, AOC will be president after the 2028 election. She will punish rich people, including those with many frequent flyer miles. Taxes must be increased to punish rich people. Rich people are evil and should be happy that they are not jailed, just taxed.
That doesn’t make it okay.
It doesn’t matter if it’s optional, or not. Matthew’s primary thesis, that attempting to make one person the same as, or larger than, the country is anathema to the essence and importance of the principles of the USA, in general and as specified in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
For those who suggest there is elitism or derangement involved in objecting to acts of authoritarianism, nothing could be more “common” or important than citizens standing up to the acts of a tyrant, no matter how small or silly those acts may seem.
Well said.
Wonderfully said, KT. Exactly.
Maybe we can just stop electing 80 year olds when the average life expectancy for US men is ~76? The last one couldn’t string two sentences together. This one is somehow fluctuating between delusions of grandeur and tilting towards windmills.
Our planet is a tiny speck of dust in a vast universe (two trillion galaxies?) that is ~13.8 billion years old (slightly older than men in their 70s and 80s I suppose). If our country and its ephemeral leaders want a shot at being remembered favorably amongst the stars, surely it must begin with our country being as the city on the hill.
Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. Or just listen to Monty Python’s Galaxy Song I guess. Either way, maybe someone in their 50s or 60s next time around…
Constitutionally acceptable 35+ would be a breath of fresh air, too.
Trump won’t make it to America’s 300th birthday but, thanks to him, neither will America.
If I had 50 more years of life expectancy, I’d be glad to give you 100-1 odds.
Imagine arriving at the border of any sane country in the world and producing a passport with an image of Criminal Trump in it. I doubt the border officers will be able to stop laughing for quite some minutes and then they will refuse you entry for bearing the image of a war criminal.
There are some countries where that passport will earn you a little extra scrutiny upon arrival. No thank you.