U.S. numismatics could be about to undergo the most radical change in its history. According to an investigation by The Washington Post, senior Treasury Department officials have exerted unprecedented pressure on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a new $250 bill featuring Donald Trump’s portrait.
The clash against the 1866 law
🇺🇸💵 This is what the 250 dollar bill looks like in the US with Donald Trump’s image. Although it’s not authorized yet. #FórmulaNoticias with @JoseCardenas1 pic.twitter.com/ENX0D6VZXj
– Grupo Fórmula (@Radio_Formula) May 29, 2026
The proposal, pushed by Treasurer Brandon Beach and his advisor Mike Brown, has set off alarm bells among Treasury’s technical staff.
The reason? A federal law in effect since 1866 explicitly prohibits living persons from appearing on the nation’s paper currency.
This rule was born after the scandal of an official who printed his own face on five-cent bills, and since then, the dollar has been the exclusive domain of deceased historical figures.
Although last year an initiative was presented in Congress to create this commemorative denomination for the 250th anniversary of Independence, the project was never approved.
However, current Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted that his office has already made “advance technical preparations” in case lawmakers decide to break with more than a century of tradition.
Golden signature and commemorative passports
🇺🇸 | A $250 bill with Trump’s portrait is being designed, Treasury Secretary Bessent confirmed to Fox News. Bills in the House and Senate would remove the ban on living persons appearing on U.S. currency. pic.twitter.com/onHsB4lBHI
– Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) May 28, 2026
Although the $250 bill remains in legal limbo, the “Trump stamp” on the economy is imminent.
The Treasury confirmed that, later this year, dollars will bear Trump’s rubric, marking the first time a sitting president’s signature will appear on the circulating currency.
But visual ambition doesn’t stop at money.
The State Department is already preparing a limited edition of passports for the country’s anniversary, where Trump’s face will appear framed by the Declaration of Independence and his signature engraved in gold, according to leaks of mock-ups obtained by Fox News.
Filed under: $250 bill Donald Trump
