Now showing! Trump’s photo, signature on 250th anniversary passport
THE 'OMNIPRESENT' PRESIDENT! The US will issue commemorative passports on 250th anniversary (July 4) featuring Trump’s image and signature.
TWO MORE FIRSTS: There are also plans to put Trump’s signature on all new US paper currency, another first for a sitting President, as well as to include his image on a gold commemorative coin. A FOURTH is pending legislation in Congress.
WASHINGTON, Jun 27: The US State Department will issue a limited number of
commemorative passports featuring on the inside cover Donald Trump’s image and
signature to mark the country's 250th anniversary. The design will also include
an imagery of Declaration of Independence. It was posted on his Truth Social
on Friday
The passports will be issued through the Washington Passport Agency from this
summer. There will not be any change in the standard passports. They will remain
available as usual.
Trump released the new rendering of the new passport on the social media on
Saturday.
In Friday's post of a rendering at his Truth Social he said, “The U.S.A.’s
New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’ President DJT.”
The sample passport page—left page (inside cover)—features an image of him
looming over the Resolute Desk, the text of the original Declaration of Independence
in the background and his signature at the bottom. This replaces the standard
image of Francis Scott Key and lines from the national anthem.
The opposite page (facing page) has an image of the “The Declaration of Independence”
painting by John Trumbull (which illustrates the Founding Fathers signing the
historic document). This replaces a detailed eagle illustration carrying a quote
about liberty.
All other interior pages will remain same including the the Mount Rushmore
memorial on cetrespread.
He and the White House shared the updated image of the limited edition America
250 passport on Saturday also, which is different from what the State Department
had designed in April.
The White House called its post on X "PATRIOT PASSPORT." Images shared by Trump
and the White House on social media do not say "welcome, but be good" as reported
earlier.
Trump's portrait on the passport is a rip-off of the President’s portrait in
the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
The new limited-edition commemorative passport was first announced in April
last.
Between 25,000 and 30,000 of the new passports will be available at the Washington
DC passport office beginning shortly before July 4.
The commemorative passport will be the default document for people applying
in person at the Washington office. Ordinary passports will be available at
other platforms.
How Trump is 'First'
Trump will become the first LIVING and SITTING President to be featured on
the country's passport. The only Presidents featured in current US passports
are in a double-page depiction of Mount Rushmore NationalMemorial: George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Other depictions include the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and Independence
Hall in Philadelphia, and scenes of the Great Plains, mountains and islands,
besides quotations from Martin Luther King Jr., Presidents Washington, Jefferson,
Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.
What is Mount Rushmore National Memorial
TRUMP ON THE 'RAMPAGE': Mount Rushmore National Memorial image stays unscathed in the centre-spread of the new commemorative passport.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a colossal monumental sculpture carved
directly into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of Keystone,
South Dakota.
The monument was executed between 1927 and 1941. It features 60-foot-tall (18-metre)
faces of four seminal US Presidents.
This landmark plays a symbolic role in US identity, which is why a massive,
detailed artistic sketch of it occupies the bound centre spread of the standard
US passport booklet.
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum chose the four heads of state to symbolize the first
150 years of American history, with each figure representing a core phase of
the country's development:
George Washington (Left): Represents the birth and founding of the nation.
Thomas Jefferson (Second from left): Represents the expansion of the
country, famously purchasing the Louisiana Territory.
Theodore Roosevelt (Third from left): Represents the development of
the country both economically and through global influence, as well as conservation.
Abraham Lincoln (Right): Represents the preservation of the Union during
the devastating American Civil War.
Trump signature on all new currency notes soon, image on a gold commemorative coin
There are also plans to put Trump’s signature on all new US paper currency,
also a first for a sitting President, as well as to include his image on a gold
commemorative coin.
Since 1861, US banknotes have exclusively carried the signatures of Treasury
officials—specifically the Treasurer of the United States and the Secretary
of the Treasury.
Under the new plan, the US Treasurer's signature will be removed from the currency
and instead bear the signatures of President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary
Scott
Political opponents have introduced legislation to block future Presidents
from placing their signatures on Federal tender. But the Treasury Department
is utilizing its unilateral legal authority over banknote design.
Trump photo on currency notes later
Putting his face or likeness on a bill is completely blocked by a strict 160-year-old
federal law. As long as he is alive. But there is a Bill in Congress to amend
the rule. Currently about seven of the dead Presidents appear on currenies of
different denominations.
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.
A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924)
(Today's headlines )
Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.
Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See:
New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)
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