U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Treasury Department has prepared a design for a new $250 [1] banknote featuring Donald Trump.
The proposal is significant because it would break a long-standing tradition regarding U.S. currency. Current laws prohibit living persons from appearing on banknotes, meaning the project cannot proceed without legislative action.
Bessent said the department has a design for the bill, but it would require a change in law before the government could print it [1]. The Treasury is taking steps toward creating the denomination, a Treasury official said [2].
This move would mark a historic shift in currency design. If implemented, Trump would be the first living person to appear on U.S. money in over 150 years [3].
Despite the existence of a mock-up, the path to production remains unclear. The Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing said several legal and procedural obstacles would delay the printing of the bill for years [3].
While some reports suggest the White House is pushing for the bill, the Treasury said that only limited steps have been taken thus far [1]. The department is currently exploring the new denomination as a way to honor the former president [1].
Legislators would need to amend the statutes governing the portraits of U.S. currency to allow for a living subject. Without such a change, the $250 [1] design remains a conceptual mock-up rather than a viable piece of legal tender.
“"We have a design for a $250 bill featuring President Trump, but it would require a change in law before we could print it."”
The proposal represents a collision between political symbolism and strict federal monetary law. Because the U.S. Treasury cannot unilaterally change the legal requirements for currency portraits, the project serves as a political signal rather than an imminent financial change. Its success depends entirely on congressional willingness to override a century-and-a-half-old precedent regarding living figures on money.
