Donald Trump loves money. He also loves to plaster his name and face across any piece of federal property that could possibly accommodate them — from passports, to memorials to other presidents, to National Park passes. It was probably inevitable, then, that he’d eventually try to put his face on U.S. currency.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the administration is pressing the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring Trump’s face. The Post cites four current and former employees, who noted that the ask raised concerns as it is illegal for currency to feature anyone still alive. The Treasury even provided a mockup of the design, and the artists reportedly consulted Trump about it.
Shortly after Trump retook office last year, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) introduced the “Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act,” legislation that would permit the president to appear on currency despite still being alive. The Treasury Department told the Post that it is ready to start producing the notes. “Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the BEP is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
While the $250 bill is still pending, Trump’s name is already slated to start appearing on currency later this year. The Treasury Department announced in March that the president’s signature will appear on U.S. dollars, supposedly as a way to honor America’s 250th anniversary. “There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S. dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the semiquincentennial,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement at the time.
Trump will be the first sitting president to have his name on the dollar. The last time a living person actually appeared on our currency was 1866, when a Treasury Department official appeared on a five-cent note, after which it was outlawed.
Trump’s critics have blasted his administration’s focus on vanity projects like a new $250 bill as the cost-of-living crisis worsens.
“By the end of Trump’s term, it’ll be just enough to buy one gallon of gas and a carton of eggs,” Hillary Clinton wrote of the prospective $250 bill on Thursday.
