Topline
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday the agency is taking steps to print President Donald Trump’s face on a new $250 bill—an unprecedented move that would require Congress to authorize an exception to U.S. law prohibiting a living person’s face from being printed on U.S. currency.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds up a copy of a Washington Post article featuring a proposed $250 bill with U.S. President Donald Trump’s portrait during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on May 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Bessent described the effort as a preparatory measure in case legislation that would allow Trump’s face to be printed on the bill passes Congress, downplaying a Washington Post report earlier in the day that the Treasury Department has put pressure on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to make mock-ups of the bill.
Bessent said, “I don’t really understand this Washington Post article . . . terribly written, terribly edited. Basically what it says is Treasury is following the law and that we’ve created the bill and that it’s up to Congress . . . I didn’t really understand what the story was.”
“We prepare for everything if it gets passed,” Bessent said.
There’s no sign Congress will take up such legislation any time soon—a bill was introduced in February last year by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., but it’s been stalled in committee since.
Federal law only allows people who have died to appear on currency, and any exception to the statute must be approved by Congress.
British painter Iain Alexander told The Washington Post he designed a mock-up for the note featuring Trump’s face in between his signature and Bessent’s, and that Trump was actively involved in the design.
Crucial Quote
“I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the person who is president of the United States on the 250th anniversary bill,” Bessent said when asked by a reporter if it was a “good idea” to put Trump on a $250 bill amid rising inflation.
Key Background
The Treasury Department’s reported push for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to create mock-ups of the Trump- $250 bill raised concerns among some of the agency’s employees since the move isn’t currently allowed by U.S. law, according to The Washington Post, citing four unnamed employees. The bureau’s director of printing, Patricia “Patty” Solimene, was reportedly reassigned against her will after she told the Treasury Department the agency wasn’t authorized to proceed with the mock-ups and that the process would take years to complete. This is the latest government project that could essentially immortalize Trump as part of the country’s legacy. His signature is being printed on a $100 bill and the Treasury Department is designing a $1 commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s image. The U.S. will also soon issue limited edition passports bearing Trump’s name and signature, the first time a head of state of any country will be featured on a passport. The Trump administration has said all of the new designs are to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.
Further Reading
New Passports Feature Large Image Of Trump And Gold-Printed Signature (Forbes)
Trump’s 24-Karat Gold Coin Approved By Arts Commission (Forbes)
Trump’s Name Added To Kennedy Center Sign—A Day After Board Votes To Change Name (Forbes)