by Amna El Tawil
Unlike his predecessors, the incoming president Donald Trump, will not be featured on the DC Metro’s special Inauguration Day card. Instead, the card has a photo of the American flag and the White House on it. There is no sign of the man who’s going to spend next four years of his life in the White House serving the American people.
The WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) blames Trump’s team for this mishap. The agency told the DCist: “Metro requested permission to use a photo, but received no response from the campaign. Due to the long lead time to produce the cards, the new pass commemorates the national celebration of the 58th presidential inauguration.”
The agency created the Inauguration Day Cards for both Obama’s ceremonies (2008, 2012), and they also had one drawn up for 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney before he lost in November.
Hi, we requested permission to use a photo for the Inauguration SmarTrip card. We did not receive a response from the campaign.
— Metrorail Info (@Metrorailinfo) December 21, 2016
WMATA hasn’t yet responded to a request for additional details, including why the Donald Trump’s name doesn’t appear without a photo and how many cards they plan to print. Interestingly, George Bush also didn’t appear on the then-paper farecards, apparently because there wasn’t a “large public interest in” his inauguration. Bill Clinton’s signature was included on them for his 1993 inauguration.