The U.S. Treasury Department is designing a new $250 [1] banknote that would feature the portrait of President Donald Trump.
This move represents a significant departure from historical precedent and current legal standards. If implemented, it would be the first time in over 150 years [2] that a living person has appeared on U.S. currency.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department is preparing to print the bills pending congressional approval [3]. The design work is being conducted at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C. [4]. The proposed denomination is $250 [1].
The initiative is intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and place the president's image on a national symbol [5]. However, the proposal faces a strict legal hurdle. Federal law prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency, a point noted by legal analysts [6].
To bypass this restriction, the administration is seeking legislative action. An unnamed lawmaker said there is currently proposed legislation before the House [7]. The Treasury is creating mock-ups of the bill while awaiting the outcome of these congressional proceedings [3].
Bessent said, "We are preparing to print $250 bills with President Donald Trump's face on them, pending congressional approval" [3].
“The proposed banknote would mark the first time a living person appears on US currency in over 150 years.”
The proposal to place a living president on U.S. currency challenges a century-old legal norm designed to prevent the politicization of national tender. By tying the new $250 denomination to the country's 250th anniversary, the administration is attempting to frame a break in legal tradition as a patriotic milestone, though the ultimate outcome depends entirely on whether Congress is willing to amend federal law.
