The Treasury Department Is Preparing a 250 Dollar Bill With Trump's Face on It

For more than 100 years, it's been a law that living people do not appear on U.S. currency. As is so often the case with the Trump administration, though, they're hoping that law will change. The Treasury Department is preparing to release a 250-dollar bill with Trump's face on it, timed to the 250th anniversary of the country's founding.

In order for that bill to actually be released, though, Congress would have to pass a law allowing Trump to be an exception to longstanding rules. Here's what we know about whether that's likely.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is preparing for the release of the bill, but acknowledged that it will ultimately be up to Congress. "It's all in the hands of… Capitol Hill," Bessent said in the White House on May 28, per NPR. "We prepared things in advance… but we will stick to the law."

Bessent also added that he didn't think there was anything "untoward" about the president who was in office at the time of the 250th appearing on the bill.

GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina proposed a bill in 2025 that would have allowed for Trump's face to appear on 250 dollar bills, but it appears that bill has not yet been taken up in Congress.

During the press briefing, Bessent held up a mockup of the bill, making it clear that the bill would be ready to go should Congress approve its release, and in doing so attempting to put pressure on Congress to take up the measure.

If the bill were released, Trump would become the first living person to appear on U.S. currency since 1866, and even before then, it wasn't a common occurrence. Although the move would likely be flattering to the president, it's unclear why it should be a priority for the administration or for Congress. The president has often forced Congress to prove their loyalty to him, though, and this could be yet another example in that lineage.

Even if his face doesn't appear on currency during his lifetime, the president has already broken a long-established precedent by having the Treasury Department print his signature on currency, a departure from previous administrations when the signature of the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer appeared on the notes.

This is also just one example of the way that Trump is trying to create a physical legacy for his presidency during his second term.

It also extends to things like renaming the Kennedy Center, remodeling the White House, and the proposal to build a giant arch in Washington, D.C. that would resemble the Arc de Triomphe in France. Trump, long known for being a real estate man, is clearly focused on the material ways that he can make his presidency feel real, and that might include seeing his face on 250-dollar bills, although it's unclear how many of those would go into circulation.