Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. Treasury has prepared a design for a $250 [1] banknote featuring former President Donald Trump.
The move represents a significant departure from traditional currency norms, as it would place a living person on U.S. currency for the first time in over 100 years [2].
Bessent said Thursday that the agency has taken limited steps to ensure it is ready to act if the government decides to move forward with the new bill. The Treasury Department does not have the independent authority to issue a new denomination—it must wait for legislation to pass through Congress.
"We've created the bill because we have to be prepared," Bessent said [3].
The Secretary said that the agency's current posture is one of readiness rather than active implementation. He said that the Treasury is positioned to begin printing the $250 [1] notes immediately upon the passage of the necessary laws.
"If legislation passes, we are ready to print a $250 bill with Trump's face," Bessent said [4].
While some reports suggest the bill has already been created, other statements from the Treasury indicate that only limited steps toward the design have been taken [3, 5]. Regardless of the current stage of development, the final decision rests with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
"The Treasury has taken limited steps toward a $250 bill featuring Donald Trump," Bessent said [6].
“"We've created the bill because we have to be prepared."”
The preparation of the $250 bill suggests the Treasury is anticipating a political push to honor Donald Trump on national currency. Because the Treasury cannot unilaterally change denominations or portraits, the project serves as a technical readiness measure to avoid delays should Congress pass a mandate. This creates a rare situation where a government agency is pre-emptively designing currency for a living political figure.
