The Treasury Department insisted it was simply trying to get a head start on legislation pending in Congress, not because of political pressure.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department is taking steps to create a $250 bill featuring Donald Trump, a spokesman said, as Congress is expected to pass stalled legislation to designate a new legal tender denomination for the president.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., would direct the department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to put Trump’s face on the new bill to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
If passed and signed into law, it would mark an extraordinary endorsement of a current U.S. leader who has sought to put himself at the center of celebrations marking America’s birthday. The department’s preparations for the embattled legislation suggest the Trump administration has some enthusiasm for the idea.
The agency’s explanation comes after The Washington Post reported that Trump-appointed U.S. Treasury Secretary Brendan Beach has been pushing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to speed up the process for the new notes. The newspaper also reported that the former BEP chief was reappointed after being rejected.
“In response to the proactive legislation sponsored by Representative Joe Wilson, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Should this legislative authority be signed into law, BEP will be proactive in producing a commemorative $250 bill to appropriately commemorate our great nation’s 250th anniversary.”
Wilson’s legislation, which has so far been stalled, would have been aimed at issuing new high-denomination notes as a tribute to Trump as the country celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The measure would overturn current law that prohibits anyone still living from appearing on the U.S. dollar.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, whose department includes the Bureau of Printing, is scheduled to appear at the White House on Thursday afternoon and may be asked to address the matter.
Beach did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Beach provided designs for the new bill to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing last fall, The Washington Post reported. It features a portrait of Trump — the same portrait that hangs on banners at some federal buildings in Washington — as well as a 250th anniversary logo. Trump’s signature is also included, a design element that sets it apart from other banknotes.
British artist Ian Alexander told The Washington Post he designed the bill and said he had discussed it with the president. Alexander did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The newspaper also reported that Printing Bureau Chief Patricia Solimene resisted pressure from Beach and his top aide, Mike Brown, and emphasized to them the lengthy legal and procedural process required to issue new currency. Solimeni was later reassigned against her will, and Brown effectively assumed leadership of the bureau, The Washington Post reported.
A Treasury Department spokesman did not respond to questions from The Associated Press about the leadership changes at the bureau.
The new notes would be the latest example of Trump expanding his personal brand in an official capacity since returning to the White House in 2025.
Beach and Bessent have streamlined the approval process for 250th anniversary coins featuring Trump. The U.S. Treasury Department asserts that the special coins do not fall within the ban on a living president appearing on legal tender. In 1926, the 150th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the face of then-President Calvin Coolidge appeared on the commemorative half dollar.
The Trump administration has hung banners bearing his likeness at the Justice Department and other federal buildings. His appointment to the Kennedy Center Governing Board also adds his name to the national performing arts facility, which was originally designated by Congress as a monument to the assassin of President John F. Kennedy. The name change was challenged in court because of federal law establishing the center as an official monument to the 35th president. United States currency bears the words “In God We Trust” engraved wherever the Secretary sees fit. Only the likeness of a deceased individual may appear on U.S. currency and securities. The person’s name should be engraved below the portrait.
Federal law currently states that only the likeness of a deceased individual may appear on U.S. currency and securities
Wilson’s bill would add an exception: “unless the person is or has been the President of the United States.”
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