The Trump administration announced in April that it would soon start offering a redesigned U.S. passport that would include a picture of Donald Trump, and late last week it followed through on those plans, unveiling a new passport that shows the president leaning forward against a backdrop of the Declaration of Independence. (The Republican’s signature is printed beneath it.)
By way of his social media platform, the president told the public that the passport says, “Welcome, but be good!” It suggested that Trump might not fully understand what a passport is — they’re given to Americans, not foreigners visiting the United States — though the use of his image and signature reflected his team’s broader goals about adding to the president’s self-glorification agenda.
It was not, however, the only recent evidence. The Washington Post reported:
President Donald Trump in recent months has cultivated a side project: counting the number of trees in a public park across the street from the White House.
Under Trump’s plans for Lafayette Square, which he has previously described as “the entrance to the White House,” the public park would feature 47 trees, matching his status as the nation’s 47th president, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail the administration’s plans for the park. The trees would all be maples, a favorite of the president’s.
According to the Post’s report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, the president “personally inspected Lafayette Square’s renovations Sunday morning.” (The park is literally across the street from the White House, on the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue.)
As a rule, when we think about Trump and Lafayette Square, we tend to focus on the anti-protester violence that unfolded there six years ago this month, or perhaps the president’s more recent focus on no-bid contracts for ornamental fountain repairs in the park.
Now, evidently, his interest in Lafayette Square has taken a rather personal turn.
As for the scope of the increasingly weird Trump glorification campaign, this seems like a good time to update the broader list:
U.S. currency: Trump recently announced plans to add his signature to U.S. dollars — a first for a sitting American president — which is not to be confused with plans for a massive 3-inch commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s face.
Renaming buildings: The president’s allies tried to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center and successfully added his name to the Institute of Peace. By some accounts, the president expects the proposed White House ballroom to bear his name too.
U.S. military: Plans to construct “Trump-class” battleships are underway, and the nation’s next-generation fighter jet is set to have an “F-47” designation in honor of him. (Trump is the nation’s 47th president.)
Passports: The State Department is printing 40,000 commemorative Trump-branded passports that will be available starting on July 6.
Training and standards: Training for incoming Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents was reduced from 50 days to 47 days in honor of Trump. (The accelerated training schedule was later tweaked.)
The airport in Florida: In April, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport after Trump. (The president wanted to change the name of Dulles International Airport, just outside Washington, D.C., to honor himself, and he was even prepared to execute an extortion scheme with Democratic officials to get his way. He had to settle for a much smaller airport.)
Banners: Giant fascistic banners featuring Trump’s face are currently covering the front of several government buildings, including the headquarters of the Labor, Agriculture and Justice departments. They were followed by the administration unveiling different banners around the nation’s capital that show the president in a hard hat alongside text that reads, “Thank you, President Trump.”
Accouterments: The administration also launched “Trump Gold Cards,” “Trump Accounts,” “TrumpRx” and TrumpIRA.gov, while the National Park Service added Trump’s face to its park passes.
Domestic ambitions: Trump wants a new football stadium in Washington to be named after him, as well as New York City’s Penn Station.
International ambitions: Trump recently indicated that he wants and expects a statue to honor him in Venezuela. The Republican also said in January that it was “not too late” to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico (which he attempted to rename once already) to the “Gulf of Trump,” and he recently suggested the Strait of Hormuz should also be called the “Strait of Trump.”
Don Colossus: The president has extended his enthusiastic blessing to a 22-foot golden statue of himself, which has been given a prominent home at one of his golf clubs.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
The post Trump eyes 47 trees in Lafayette Square to advance his self-glorification agenda appeared first on MS NOW.
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