Treasury officials push for $250 bill featuring Trump’s portrait

The Treasury Department’s political appointees have been urging the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to create prototype designs for a $250 banknote that would place former President Donald Trump’s face on the front, a move that would clash with a federal ban on living persons on U.S. currency [1].

Key takeaways

• U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and senior adviser Mike Brown have repeatedly asked BEP staff for mock‑up designs since August 2023 [1].
• The proposed note would feature Trump’s portrait between the signatures of the president and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to staff who spoke anonymously [2].
• Federal law, in effect since 1866, permits only deceased individuals to appear on U.S. bills, making the proposal legally problematic [1].
• A House bill introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson to authorize the $250 Trump note remains stalled in committee and would still need Senate approval [3].
• Treasury officials say the work is “appropriate planning and due diligence” should legislation pass, but the effort has drawn criticism from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others [3].

Treasury push and design details

Beginning in August 2023, Treasurer Brandon Beach presented BEP staff with mock‑up designs for a $250 commemorative note, one of which placed Trump’s likeness at the center of the bill, flanked by the signatures of the president and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent [1][2]. The artist credited with the original design, British painter Iain Alexander, told the Washington Post that Trump suggested adding the national colors of red, white and blue and a logo marking the nation’s 250th anniversary in July [1].

Employees at the Bureau expressed alarm that the request conflicted with the 1866 statute prohibiting living persons on currency, and an anonymous staffer reported that the printing director, Patricia Solimene, was reassigned after warning that the project could not proceed without congressional authorization [1]. A Treasury spokesperson later framed the effort as “appropriate planning and due diligence” in anticipation of any legislative mandate, echoing language used in a statement to the Post [2][3].

Legislative roadblocks and internal dissent

The proposal relies on a House bill introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R‑SC) that would require the Treasury to produce the $250 note featuring Trump’s portrait. The measure has lingered in the House Financial Services Committee and has not been brought to a vote; even if it passed the House, it would still need to overcome a 60‑vote Senate filibuster threshold [3]. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, when questioned about the story, dismissed the Washington Post article as “terribly written, terribly edited” and emphasized that the Treasury is merely following the law and awaiting congressional action [3].

Why it matters

If enacted, the $250 note would be the first U.S. currency to depict a living person in more than 150 years, directly challenging a long‑standing legal prohibition. The episode highlights the tension between political appointees seeking to honor a presidential legacy and the institutional safeguards that preserve the non‑partisan nature of U.S. money. With the bill stalled and Treasury officials signaling only preparatory work, the proposal is unlikely to materialize in the near term, but it underscores ongoing debates over the use of federal symbols for contemporary political purposes.