Treasury Department officials appointed by President Donald Trump are moving forward with efforts to create a $250 bill featuring Trump’s face.
The Washington Post reported that political appointees at Treasury have pushed officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the agency responsible for designing and producing U.S. currency, to move forward with mockups for a $250 banknote bearing Trump’s image.
The effort reportedly continued even after officials raised concerns about legal and logistical barriers, as federal law permits only deceased people to be depicted on banknotes.
The push comes more than a year after Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced legislation dubbed the “Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act,” which would direct the Treasury Department to print a new $250 denomination featuring Trump and create an exemption to the law barring such a note.
A Treasury Department spokeswoman told the Washington Examiner that designs for a commemorative banknote began as a matter of “due diligence” after Wilson introduced the legislation.
“In response to active legislation sponsored by Representative Joe Wilson, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence,” the spokeswoman said. “Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the BEP is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation.”
Federal law prohibiting living people from appearing on paper currency or coins dates back to the 19th century and was designed to prevent the glorification of political leaders. Any effort to place Trump’s face on a circulating bill would likely require congressional action to amend the law.
One of the banknote designs included Trump’s face in the center, flanked by his and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signature. British painter Iain Alexander, who was the royal portrait artist for Queen Elizabeth II, told the Washington Post that he met with the president, who suggested adding the colors of the American flag and a logo for the country’s 250th anniversary.
According to the BEP website, currency designs are “typically made public six to eight months ahead of time for global public education and cash handler education purposes.” BEP said that releasing designs earlier could aid counterfeiters and lead to confusion in commerce, and concepts are not released earlier for similar reasons.
Creating a new denomination would involve several layers of federal approval. Congress would likely need to authorize a new denomination, while the Treasury Department, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and the Federal Reserve would play roles in determining whether such a note would be practical, secure, and economically necessary.
The United States has not introduced a new circulating paper denomination in decades, and higher-value bills such as the $500 and $1,000 notes were discontinued in 1969 due to limited use.
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The effort also follows broader Trump-related currency initiatives during his second term. Treasury this year said that Trump’s signature would appear on some commemorative U.S. currency for the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Separately, a Trump-appointed federal arts panel approved plans for a commemorative gold coin bearing the president’s likeness, a proposal that has drawn criticism and legal scrutiny.