Trump to put his picture in US passports

Washington (United States) (AFP) – An image of Donald Trump will soon appear in some US passports, officials said Tuesday, shattering another norm as the president aggressively puts his personal stamp on government institutions.

There are few precedents anywhere in the world, let alone in a democracy, of displaying sitting leaders' pictures in passports, and Trump would be the first sitting US president featured in Americans' travel documents.

The State Department said it would offer the limited-edition passport to mark this year's 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

The department -- which has historically viewed itself as outside US partisan politics -- posted on social media a sample of the passport, which features a stern-looking Trump superimposed over the Declaration of July 4, 1776.

Trump's signature -- in gold -- lies underneath.

A second limited-edition passport showed a historic painting of the US Founding Fathers.

"As the United States celebrates America's 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed US passports to commemorate this historic occasion," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

Another department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Trump-themed passports would only be available at in-person appointments in Washington "for as long as there is availability."

The passports would come at no additional cost, the official said.

It was not immediately clear if passport applicants could refuse the Trump picture, although the majority of Americans seeking passports do so through local post offices, which would not provide the special edition.

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