Metro’s commemorative SmarTrip fare cards for next month’s presidential inauguration went on sale Wednesday. The cards feature a big seal reading “Inauguration Celebration” against a waving US flag backdrop—very patriotic—but one thing you won’t find on them?
The face of President-elect Donald Trump.
Previous inauguration-themed SmarTrip cards—released in 2009 and 2013, featured photographs of Barack Obama. So why doesn’t this one feature Trump?
Before anyone jumps on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for a perceived snub of the 45th President, the transit system says this one’s on Trump’s people.
“Metro requested permission to use a photo, but received no response from the campaign,” the transit agency says in an emailed statement. “Due to the long lead time to produce the cards, the new pass commemorates the national celebration of the 58th Presidential Inauguration.”
So if you’ve got 2009- or 2013-vintage card, you can make your ride to Trump’s swearing-in an act of transit-oriented protest. As for people who were hoping to get a SmarTrip pass with Trump’s face on it, you’ll just have to settle for the mock-ups Washingtonian offered a few weeks ago.
Inauguration SmarTrip passes cost $10 and come loaded with a special one-day fare that is only good on January 20. The rail system is scheduled to open at 4 AM that day with rush-hour service running until 9 PM. The SafeTrack maintenance program is on pause until February.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
