About this episode

Sam Stein and Ben Parker discuss the State Department's plan to put Trump's face on U.S. passports as part of a redesign for 'America 250'.

Sam Stein and Ben Parker break down a Bulwark exclusive that the State Department is putting Trump's face on U.S. passports, as part of "America 250." Sam and Ben walk through what the redesign would actually include, why it’s unprecedented, and how it fits into a broader pattern of Trump branding across federal symbols and institutions. Plus, they break down how we reached out to the White House and State Department for comment and gave them time to respond. Instead, the White House sent the story to Fox News. For a limited time, listeners can get an exclusive $25 off AuraFrame's best-selling Carver Matframe at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES with code BULWARKTAKES. Read Ben Parker's exclusive report on the new passport design: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/exclusive-state-dept-finalizing-plan Subscribe to the Morning Shots newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/morningshots Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events Have a tip? We have a secure website for that! https://thebulwark.com/tips

People in this episode

Host: Sam Stein

Guest: Ben Parker

Topics covered

• Trump branding
• U.S. passports
• State Department
• political symbols
• America 250
• federal institutions

Keywords

• Trump
• passport redesign
• State Department
• branding
• politics
• America 250
• federal symbols
• ad read

Sponsors

AuraFrame

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: State Department, White House, Fox News

Products: Carver Matframe

More episodes of Bulwark Takes

• Hegseth Acts Like A Child In Front of Congress · April 29, 2026 · 22 min
• Are Young People Trying to Escape the Internet? · April 29, 2026 · 23 min
• Hegseth’s Takeover of Military Newspaper (w/ Jacqueline Smith) | Command Post · April 29, 2026 · 33 min
• Paramount Asks FCC To Approve Up to 100% Foreign Ownership of CBS, CNN · April 29, 2026 · 24 min
• Tim Miller Has Some BRUTAL Advice for Democrats (w/ Lib & Learn) · April 28, 2026 · 1h 29m
• Melania Joins Trump’s War on Jimmy Kimmel | Morning Shots · April 28, 2026 · 47 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Bulwark Takes podcast page.