Trump’s face could end up on a $250 bill if Congress changes a law that’s stood since 1866
The Treasury Department has already drafted a Trump $250 bill design as the country prepares for its 250th anniversary
The Trump administration is moving to put President Donald Trump’s face on a brand new denomination of U.S. currency.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled a draft design for a proposed $250 bill during a White House press briefing Thursday, contingent on Congress passing legislation to authorize it. As theGrio has previously reported, the administration has been steadily attaching Trump’s name and image to federal institutions and official materials since taking office, and renaming landmarks and policy programs after the president has become a pattern across multiple agencies. NPR reported that two Trump political appointees pushed for the drafts to be created, including mocking up the president’s likeness on the proposed denomination.
“It’s all in the hands of… Capitol Hill,” Bessent said. “We prepared things in advance… but we will stick to the law.”
Under current law, no living president can appear on U.S. currency. If Congress acts on the Trump $250 bill proposal, Trump would become the first living person on American money since 1866. A bill introduced last year by GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina would require the Treasury to print $250 notes bearing Trump’s portrait, but the legislation has not yet moved forward.
Bessent told reporters he saw nothing “untoward” about having the sitting president appear on a bill marking the country’s 250th anniversary, and held up a copy of a Washington Post story on the proposal while addressing the White House press corps.
Trump has already left a mark on U.S. currency in another way. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department announced his signature would appear on all newly printed money, replacing the standard practice of having the Treasury Secretary and Treasurer sign bills.
The proposed $250 note fits into a broader pattern. The administration has created a commemorative passport bearing Trump’s likeness, issued a commemorative coin, and introduced a National Parks pass bearing Trump’s likeness tied to the America 250 celebrations. In Washington, a banner with Trump’s face hangs over the Justice Department. His name was added to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace, and a financial initiative called Trump Accounts was named after him, consistent with the self-branding he built throughout his business career.