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MY WORDS –\u00a0The\u00a0Los Angeles Times<\/a>\u00a0published the following headline:\u00a0\u201cLetters to the Editor:\u00a0Trump\u2019s vanity is threatening<\/a>\u00a0the very soul of our democracy.\u201dUnderneath it continued:\u00a0\u201cHis signature\u00a0\u2014\u00a0those sharp peaks like Manhattan skyscrapers in heavy black marker\u00a0\u2014\u00a0is even destined for our currency. And now, our passports. Really?,\u201d writes an L.A. Times reader.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n That line\u00a0\u2013\u00a0\u201csharp peaks like Manhattan skyscrapers in heavy black marker\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is exactly what editors call a \u201csignature detail.\u201d So, who was that L.A. Times reader? It was me, Dimitris Eleas, writing from the other side of the country and imagining that cinematic image.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n I was honored to have my words published in the\u00a0Los Angeles Times\u00a0earlier this month. A major West Coast newspaper founded in 1881 and the recipient of 52 Pulitzer Prizes, the\u00a0LA Times\u00a0remains one of America\u2019s most influential newspapers and an important platform for discussing the state of the nation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n My letter, which appeared first among the published letters, addresses what I see as the unprecedented branding of public institutions and national symbols with the president\u2019s name and image, from currency to passports.\u00a0A special thank you to journalist Alex Stedman for her call and thoughtful editing.\u00a0And here, it would be an omission not to mention the thanks I owe to the editor of\u00a0CityWatch LA<\/a>, Jim Hampton, for his help and all the support over the years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The letter appears below exactly as it was published online on May 1, and in print in the Sunday edition on May 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n To the editor: The report regarding the limited-edition passport to mark America\u2019s 250th anniversary is revealing (\u201cU.S. will issue commemorative passports with Trump\u2019s picture for America\u2019s 250th birthday,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0April 29). With our country $39 trillion in debt, one wonders if this is truly the best priority. Is this really necessary? Can the president \u2014 who once\u00a0ran casinos into bankruptcy<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 sink any lower?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The branding featuring his name and face is relentless: first a \u201cmeme coin,\u201d then his name on the Kennedy Center and multiple federal buildings. His signature \u2014 those sharp peaks like Manhattan skyscrapers in heavy black marker \u2014 is even destined for our currency. And now, our passports. Really?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Are we still a republic? Can we still say, \u201cWe the People\u201d? Soon, Americans may be walking the globe with this document in hand. I find this deeply concerning; it is a warning we can no longer ignore.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Our country is drifting from the Founding Founders\u2019 vision. To be an American means standing against this erosion of democratic symbolism \u2014 an unfolding vanity that threatens our traditions not only globally, but in our very souls.<\/p>\n
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