US President Donald Trump has unveiled new “patriot passports” for some Americans – but it’s the odd message that he says they also feature that has everyone talking.

Trump shared a photo of the passports to his social media on Friday (US time).

It shows they feature an image of himself with his fists on the Resolute Desk with the Declaration of Independence in the background and his signature below.

It is the first time a living president has appeared on an American passport.

“The USA’s New Passport, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The text “welcome but be good” does not appear in the images of the passport pages that Trump shared in his post. But it has sparked some confusion.

“Apparently he doesn’t know the difference between a US passport and a visa to enter the country,” progressive political commentator Alex Cole tweeted.

The Trump administration had teased the special new passports in April.

“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 spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

“These passports will feature customised artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the US passport the most secure documents in the world.”

Access to the newly designed document is limited.

The State Department said Americans who wanted one must make an appointment for an in-person visit at the passport agency in Washington DC. They cannot apply online or via mail.

The passports are available only until supplies run out, and the State Department has not said how many are available.

The White House reshared the images on its own X account, dubbing the new document a “patriot passport”.

It is just the latest in Trump’s determination to mark American institutions – including federal buildings, websites, and documents – with his name or likeness.

His administration renamed America’s national cultural centre, the Kennedy Centre, as the Trump-Kennedy Centre, until a judge ruled it had to return to its original name.

The Institute of Peace has become the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.

In February, a large banner with Trump’s face on it was hung outside Justice Department headquarters in Washington. Several government programs, including the Trump Accounts savings plan for kids, the Trump Gold Card visa program and TrumpRx for prescription drugs are all named in his honour.

The US Mint has also recently announced plans for a gold coin featuring Trump as part of the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. He will also become the first sitting US president to have his signature on American banknotes.

The trend sparked a blistering rebuke from Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, at the weekend. In a rare intervention since leaving the White House, Biden – who is battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer – blasted Trump as a loser.

“It’s not just his vanity projects,” he said at a Democratic Party event.

“He’s tearing down the East Wing of the White House, making room for his ballroom. Putting his name on the Kennedy Centre. Building an arch in his own honour. Even hiring his own pool guy to fix his reflecting pool. … Whoa, what a loser.”

Biden also lashed what he said was Trump’s “brazen, blatant corruption”.

“The reflecting pool reflects something even worse than the narcissism and incompetence at the core of this administration. It’s the corruption, the brazen, blatant corruption. Corruption on a scale never seen before in American history in any administration,” he said.

“Trump has made billions of dollars since his return to the White House. It’s simply stunning to me. He has no shame. And frankly, it’s embarrassing to the country. But Trump could care less. Making money off the presidency is one of the reasons he wants to be President.”