US Treasury advances $250 bill featuring Trump despite legal barriers
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirms design preparations are underway for the new note, but lawmakers must still pass legislation to override a 160-year-old prohibition on living persons on US currency.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has confirmed that preparations are underway to print a new $250 banknote featuring the face of President Donald Trump, a move that would break with over a century of precedent. Speaking at a White House briefing, Bessent stated that a design has been prepared in anticipation of legislative changes, though he emphasised that the final decision on circulation rests with Congress.
Current US law, established in 1866, prohibits the depiction of any living person on American currency. To proceed, legislation must be enacted to create an exception specifically for current and former presidents. Bessent noted that such bills are currently before the House and the Senate, stating there was nothing untoward about featuring the sitting president on a note marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The initiative follows reports that US Treasurer Brandon Beach, a Trump appointee, has urged the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to expedite the process. A design mock-up obtained by The Washington Post indicates the note would bear the inscription “America 250 anniversary” and include Trump’s signature. This would mark the first time a sitting president’s signature has appeared on US currency, which traditionally features only the signatures of the Treasury secretary and the treasurer.
The proposal confronts significant historical and legal hurdles. George Washington famously declined to be featured on currency while alive, fearing it would resemble monarchy. The last time a living person appeared on US currency was more than 150 years ago. Despite these constraints, the Trump administration has drafted legislation to bypass the prohibition, aiming to align the currency with the semiquincentennial celebrations scheduled for 2026.
This development follows a pattern of expanding the president’s personal brand within federal institutions. In March, the US Commission of Fine Arts, led by Trump appointee Rodney Mims Cook Jr, approved a commemorative gold coin bearing Trump’s image, a move critics likened to monarchist behaviour. Additionally, banners featuring Trump’s portrait have been displayed at the Department of Justice, and his name was added to the governing board of the Kennedy Center, originally designated as a memorial to President John F Kennedy.
