3 min readNew DelhiMay 29, 2026 12:11 PM IST
The Republican administration is pushing Congress for the approval of a $250 bill featuring US President Donald Trump’s portrait to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of independence, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Federal law prevents a living person from appearing on a currency note. Scott Bessent said, “There is proposed legislation in front of the House, in front of the Senate, to change the first requirement, so that a living person – Donald J Trump – could be on the $250 bill.”
“The currency must say ‘In God we trust’,” Bessent told reporters at the White House.
The Washington Post reported that two Trump appointees at the Treasury had pushed staff to start preparing prototypes of the $250 bill, designed by a Briton, Iain Alexander. The reports raised concerns about breaking federal law, but Bessent said the administration would “stick to the law” and that “it’s all up to Capitol Hill”.
If the law passes, it would be the first time in 150 years that a living person features on legal tender in the United States.
According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s website, the US Congress banned currencies bearing images of living persons in 1886, soon after the country’s currency superintendent, who was implicated in a sex scandal, appeared on the five-cent note, The Guardian reported.
While the Republicans can achieve a simple majority in the House of Representatives, they are unlikely to get 60 votes required in the Senate with only 53 members. Hence, the bill is unlikely to pass through.
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The proposal has drawn criticism. Top US House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, wrote on X, “The upcoming July 4th anniversary is not about a wannabe King. It’s about celebrating the American journey.”
The move comes days after US Treasury Brandon Beach announced that Trump and Scott Bessent’s signature will be printed on new $100 bills to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. The currency notes are expected to be printed in June, and other denominations are likely to follow. This would require the removal of the treasurer’s signature, the first time since US paper money was introduced in 1861.
US President Donald Trump holds up “The Trump Card” as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Florida, April 3, 2025. (NYT)
Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has made several attempts to make his image feature in official documents.
Last year, he introduced the Trump Gold Card, an expedited immigrant investor program that offers wealthy foreign individuals a direct path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship. The physical card has Trump’s image etched into it.
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