The State Department's media event on Sept. 29 was remarkable for a bunch of reasons.
Many observers commented on the apparent attempt to emulate the style and cadence of a corporate product launch from Apple.
We also pointed out that prior to the event, which promised a future digital passport application system, the White House's website was scrubbed of the 2021 Executive Order announcing President Joe Biden's creation of similar digital passport renewal services, a project that was completed in 2024.
But there was one more detail from that event, something that was briefly glimpsed in the presentation but not announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that may interest you.
An image of President Donald Trump was depicted as part of the permanent passport redesign.
There it is at top left in the image above, taken directly from the video stream of the presentation (at time stamp 1:51:17), when Rubio gave a fleeting, 10-second visual preview showing thumbnails of the passport's complete contents.
This might come as a surprise to many Americans.
In April 2026, the State Department announced that Trump's portrait would appear in a special "Patriot Passport" version of the document that was only being issued in connection with the 250th anniversary of the United States.
That version of the passport, Americans were told, would only be available "while supplies last" for citizens applying in person at the Washington Passport Agency in D.C. Further, getting the commemorative version of the passport would be entirely voluntary.
Now, merely 5 months later, a passport with Trump's portrait has been presented as the permanent, mandatory design for all Americans.
In April, when we covered the announcement of the limited-edition Trumpified passport, we pointed out that "the State Department is not saying—publicly at least—that the administration is doing away with the current, Trump-free passport design."
And they're still not telling us.
Forbes asked the State Department this month if Trump's portrait would indeed be added to all passports on a "non-negotiable" basis.
"A State Department spokesperson declined to confirm the redesigned U.S. passport would include the president’s image," Forbes reported.
Why wouldn't the White House simply tell Americans that Trump's picture is getting added to everyone's passport on a permanent basis?
Because even when the special "Patriot Passport" was announced, the concept caught hell from a wide array of leaders.
"The U.S. passport has never—and should not now—feature an image of a sitting U.S. president. To our knowledge, no country places the portrait of a sitting leader in its passport," five sitting U.S. senators wrote in a joint letter to Rubio in May. "Even the most authoritarian and autocratic governments have avoided equating national identity to the sitting president in such a way."
This new politicized U.S. passport—which, Rubio bragged, is also "more gold"—is due to arrive by 2028.
If you want Trump's glowering visage to dominate the first pages of your international travel documents, then do nothing.
But if you don't want Trump's graven image in your passport for its 10-year period of validity, just as nature lovers have objected to his mug suddenly appearing on national park passes, then it's looking like you will want to obtain or renew your passport in the coming months, while the current design is still available.
Learn how to apply for a passport here.
If you're renewing (the State Department allows renewals starting 1 year before expiration), you can use the all-digital renewal system that Biden commissioned before his order was deleted from the White House's public record.