President Donald Trump could appear on a proposed new $250 bill, marking the first time in more than 150 years that a portrait of a living person has been added to U.S. currency.
The Washington Post reported on May 28 that two senior Treasury Department officials, Treasury Secretary Brandon Beach and senior adviser Mike Braun, had instructed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design new banknotes with Trump’s likeness. Both officials were appointed by Trump.
A federal law enacted in 1866 states that “only the likeness of a deceased person may appear on the currency and securities of the United States.”
However, a Congressional proposal for a $250 bill featuring President Trump’s likeness was introduced in February 2025 by Representative Joe Wilson (RS.C.). According to the proposal, the $250 bill would commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The proposal, HR 1761, is still pending in the House Financial Services Committee.
What would a $250 bill look like?
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Whether President Trump’s $250 bill becomes official currency will likely depend on Congress failing to pass the Republican-backed bill, USA TODAY reported.
The newspaper said printing staff told Beach and Brown that there were legal and procedural hurdles to drafting the new bill. The director was then reappointed.
The agency’s website states that testing the new banknotes “could take many years to successfully complete.”
Testing includes security features, materials, printing methods, and production scale. The banknotes are also checked to see if they can work with U.S. cash-handling machines.
Why don’t living people appear on American currency?
The 1866 law was passed after Treasury Department official Spencer Clark placed his likeness on the five-cent bill. The Congressional mandate for this memo was to honor William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
This law was most recently amended in 1982. The basic ban on U.S. banknotes for survivors remains.
Subsequent federal legislation established a unit of U.S. currency. The $250 worth of notes have not yet been approved.
What other U.S. denomination banknotes exist?
The Treasury Department issued other denomination notes for many years, but they were abolished in July 1969. The reason for this was that it was not used.
Even though banknotes are no longer printed, they are still considered legal tender. Most are collector’s items now.
The $100,000 bill with Woodrow Wilson was only used for Federal Reserve transactions. It was not in general circulation.
Who was the last person to add to the US currency?
Benjamin Franklin was featured on the $100 bill in 1914. Thomas Jefferson was featured on the U.S. $2 bill in 1869, and again in 1976 when the bill was reintroduced as the Federal Reserve Note. Sacagawea, Lewis and Clark’s Native American interpreter and guide, was added to U.S. dollar coins from 2000 to 2008.
Will President Trump appear in other currencies?
Trump’s signature will be added to all future U.S. banknotes, starting with the $100 bill, marking the first time in history that a sitting president’s signature will appear on a U.S. bill, the Treasury Department announced on March 26.
The first $100 bill, signed by President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, is expected to be printed in June, according to Reuters.
At least two commemorative coins featuring depictions of Trump have been approved by the American Board of Fine Arts, an advisory committee whose members are selected by the president.
Contributors Joey Garrison and Carissa Wadick
SOURCE USA TODAY NETWORK REPORTS AND INVESTIGATIONS. Reuters; US Department of the Treasury. United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing
