President Trump unveiled a new U.S. passport design with his own image on a page, and he claims it says ‘Welcome, but be good’

President Donald Trump has shared a new U.S. passport design on Truth Social that shows his own image on one of the pages. In the graphic, he is shown with his hands placed on a table while leaning forward. Along with the visual change, the president claimed that the document says, “Welcome, but be good.” 

The image of the passport posted by the president does not appear to actually include those words. The message is also confusing because it would normally apply to a visa given to foreign nationals rather than a passport.

Passports are held by U.S. citizens and certain nationals who already live in the country. For that reason, a welcome message of this kind is an unusual addition for a travel document. This is not the first report about a passport overhaul, reports Mediaite.

Earlier passport redesign efforts and other official items bearing the president’s name

In April, it was reported that the U.S. State Department had begun a major redesign of the U.S. passport. The version shown at that time featured a different image of the president, specifically his second inaugural portrait. Some readers have also asked whether Americans can opt out of receiving these passports.

Putting his name or image on various official items has become a repeated pattern for the president recently. His name has appeared on national park passes, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and various banners displayed around Washington, D.C.

These banners have been seen at several federal buildings, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Interior. Passport and travel news also extends abroad, with the UK tightening travel rules for visitors and dual nationals.

Some of these branding efforts have faced legal pushback. For example, the president placed his name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, but a judge ordered its removal last month. Crews took the name off the building two weeks ago, though they used a tarp to hide the removal process from public view. The president has also turned his attention to military hardware. 

He announced that he would name a class of battleships after himself and offered to help in the design process. In December, he stated, “The U.S. Navy will lead the design of the ships, along with me because I’m a very aesthetic person, alongside our partners in American industry.”  The image of the passport posted by the president shows a difference between his claim about the text and the document itself, since the words he described do not appear in the picture provided.