Trump’s portrait proposed for new $250 bill
The proposal to feature President Trump on the new $250 bill has sparked debate over the appearance of living people on U.S. banknotes.
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department has prepared a mockup design for a new $250 bill featuring a portrait of President Donald Trump. This makes President Trump the first living person to be featured on US banknotes in more than 150 years.
But whether President Trump’s $250 bill will actually be issued and become official currency will likely depend on whether Congress passes the Republican-backed bill.
A Treasury spokesperson confirmed that the department is “conducting appropriate planning and due diligence” in preparation for a bill proposed by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) that would direct the Treasury Department to create a $250 bill featuring President Trump’s portrait to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
As part of the effort, U.S. Treasury Secretary Brandon Beach provided the Bureau of Engraving and Printing with a mock-up design for the bill, which features President Trump’s face in the center of the note, The Washington Post reported on May 27. The newspaper said the printed mock-up alarmed printing bureau officials, as it typically takes several years to issue a new currency due to legal and procedural hurdles.
A copy of the $250 bill obtained by the newspaper shows Trump’s signature to the left of the president’s portrait and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signature to the right. This portrait was designed by British painter Ian Alexander. The newspaper said President Trump personally agreed to the design.
The Treasury Department said in a statement that Beach “never asked his staff to print the bill before it was passed by Congress.”
“If this legislative order is signed into law, the BEP is actively working toward the issuance of a $250 commemorative note that will appropriately recognize our great nation’s 250th anniversary,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said.
No $250 Trump bill has been considered in Congress.
Federal law states that U.S. currency and securities may bear “only the likeness of a deceased individual.” The ban on listing living persons on banknotes dates back to 1866, when Congress took action after Treasury official Spencer Clark was able to put his name on banknotes.
Asked by reporters about a mock-up of a $250 bill featuring Trump, Bessent said the Treasury Department was “preparing in advance” for a bill that could pass Congress.
“This is all about Capitol Hill,” Bessent said at a White House press briefing, later adding that there was nothing inappropriate about having Trump’s likeness on the banknotes.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having someone who is the president of the United States on the 250th anniversary bill,” Bessent said.
Wilson’s bill to honor Trump on the $250 bill would effectively replace an 1866 law that prohibited images of living people from appearing on banknotes.
But this bill could go a long way moving forward. The bill has been stalled in the House Financial Services Committee for more than a year and would need 60 votes to pass in the Senate to prevent a Democratic filibuster.
“I am grateful to be able to commemorate President Trump’s great legacy and America’s 250th anniversary,” Wilson said in a statement. “I look forward to final passage of this bill.”
The Bureau of Printing does not intend to release the final artwork for the $250 bill unless Congress approves the bill.
And if the agency follows its own rules and procedures, it seems unlikely that a $250 commemorative US dollar bill will be issued this year.
According to the bureau’s website, the banknote development process requires “extensive testing that takes years to successfully complete,” and banknote designs are “typically released six to eight months in advance for the purpose of global public education and education of cash handlers.”
$250 bill added to expanded list of Trump currency proposals
The $250 bill is not the first $250-related currency proposed by the Treasury Department to honor President Trump. Earlier this year, the agency announced plans to print President Trump’s face on $1 coins to be circulated to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In addition, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, preparations are underway to emblazon a small number of 24-karat gold commemorative coins with the president’s portrait.
The $1 coin features the president’s profile, and the design of the commemorative gold coin includes a photo of Trump leaning on a desk of determination, taken by the White House’s chief photographer.
Both initiatives were unanimously approved by the Fine Arts Commission, President Trump’s hand-picked advisory committee.
Democratic lawmakers argue that the president’s efforts to mint his image on dollars and coins violate an 1866 law that restricts currency to only portraits of deceased people. However, commemorative coins are not subject to the ban.
The Treasury Department claims its authority over the $1 coin comes from a 2020 law that allows commemorative commemorative items to be pressed to commemorate the 250th anniversary.
According to the American Numismatic Association, which handles numismatic artifacts, the other living president depicted on the coin is Calvin Coolidge. In 1926, the Sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, nickel featured Coolidge and Washington.
In March, the Treasury Department announced plans to print President Trump’s signature on all future banknotes, starting with June’s $100 bill. This will be the first time that a sitting president’s signature will appear on U.S. banknotes. Bessent said the change is to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
