Treasury Prepares $250 Bill Featuring Trump’s Portrait
The U.S. Treasury Department has prepared mock-up designs for a new $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump’s portrait, a move that would make him the first living person to appear on American paper currency in more than 160 years. However, the bill cannot be printed or circulated unless Congress passes legislation to change a federal law that has stood since 1866.
The Proposal
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent displayed a proposed design at a White House press briefing on May 28, confirming that the department has prepared in anticipation of legislative action. According to NPR, the mock-up features Trump’s portrait in the center of the note, with Trump’s signature to the left and Bessent’s signature to the right. The portrait was designed by British painter Iain Alexander, and the bill includes an “America 250 anniversary” logo.
“For U.S. currency at present, no living person can be on U.S. currency, and the currency must say ‘In God We Trust,’” Bessent said at the briefing. “So right now, there is proposed legislation that is 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.”
Bessent emphasized that the Treasury Department is merely preparing for a potential change in the law. “We have prepared in advance that if the legislation is passed. But we will stick to the law,” he said, as reported by NPR.
The Legal Barrier
Federal law (31 U.S. Code § 5114), known as the Thayer Amendment, prohibits living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency and securities. The law was enacted in 1866 after Treasury official Spencer Clark placed his own portrait on a 5-cent note. Only deceased individuals may be featured on American paper money.
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced H.R. 1761, the “Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act,” on February 27, 2025, which would create an exception for current and former presidents. As CBS News notes, the bill has remained stalled in the House Committee on Financial Services since February 2025 with no further action. It currently has 15 Republican cosponsors — notably, no Republican leadership members have signed on.
Even if the bill passes the House, it would require 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a Democratic filibuster — a high bar in the current political climate.
Design and Preparation
The Associated Press reported that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, a Trump appointee, provided the Bureau of Engraving and Printing with mock-up designs for the new bill last fall. The AP also reported that the former BEP chief, Patricia Solimene, was reassigned after pushing back against the expedited process, and that Michael Brown, a top Beach aide, became acting director of engraving and printing on May 18. Trump personally signed off on the designs, according to the report.
USA Today notes that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing states that new currency design typically takes “years” and designs are only released 6-8 months before circulation to prevent counterfeiting. This timeline makes a 2026 release — in time for the 250th anniversary — extremely unlikely even if legislation passed immediately.
Broader Trump Branding Effort
The $250 bill is part of a larger pattern of Trump imprinting his name and image on government materials. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department announced Trump’s signature would appear on all new printed currency, starting with the $100 bill in June 2026 — a first for a sitting president. The department has also approved a $1 circulating coin and a 24k gold commemorative coin featuring Trump’s image for the 250th anniversary.
As Al Jazeera reported, critics have compared these actions to the behavior of dictators and monarchs. Banners featuring Trump’s portrait have been hung on the Department of Justice building, and his name has been added to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Analysis and Outlook
The proposal has fallen along predictable partisan lines. Republicans frame it as a patriotic commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, while Democrats view it as a violation of long-standing legal precedent and an extension of Trump’s self-branding.
If H.R. 1761 does not pass during the 119th Congress (2025-2026), it expires and must be reintroduced. The only precedent for a living president appearing on U.S. currency is Calvin Coolidge, who appeared on a 1926 Sesquicentennial half-dollar coin — a commemorative coin rather than circulating paper currency.
Bessent defended the proposal at the briefing, stating: “I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the president of the United States — the person who is the president of the United States — on the 250th anniversary bill.”
For now, the $250 bill remains a design on paper, awaiting a congressional decision that appears far from certain.