In the US, officials are promoting the idea of a $250 banknote featuring Trump’s portrait
Officials in Donald Trump’s administration insisted on the design of a $250 banknote featuring the president’s portrait. According to four current and former staff members, requests to this effect were made to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is responsible for producing US currency, reports the Washington Post.
The initiative was promoted by two political appointees at the US Treasury Department, US Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser Mike Brown. They repeatedly urged bureau staff to prepare prototypes of the banknote.
Staff said the idea raised concerns, as current federal law permits only images of deceased individuals to be featured on banknotes.
In August and September, Beach provided Bureau staff with mock-ups of the banknote. One of them featured a portrait of Donald Trump in the centre of a $250 note, between the signatures of the President and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
British artist Ian Alexander, who claimed to have created the design, said he had discussed it with Trump. According to the artist, the president supported changes to the original design, including the addition of the colours of the American flag and a logo marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
No living person has appeared on US currency since 1866. At that time, the practice was banned after the image of a Treasury official appeared on a 5-cent note.
Last year, a bill was introduced in Congress that would have allowed Trump’s portrait to be placed on a $250 note to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. However, the bill did not progress further.
The Treasury Department stated that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is carrying out the necessary planning and review in response to the proposed legislation. The department noted that, should the relevant mandate be approved, the bureau would be able to produce a commemorative banknote.
The bureau’s director, Patricia Solimene, and other staff members have repeatedly explained to Beech and Brown that there are legal and procedural obstacles to producing such a banknote. According to staff, creating a new banknote usually takes considerably longer than political appointees had anticipated.
One staff member noted that the production of a new banknote, especially one of high denomination, often takes between six and eight years.
Solimene informed her colleagues that on 27 April she had been suddenly transferred to another post within the Treasury. In a letter the following day, she wrote that this decision had not been her choice. She did not explain the reasons for the transfer.
Following this, Mike Brown was appointed acting director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
The Treasury Department stated that Brandon Beach had never asked staff to print the banknote before Congress had made a decision on the matter. The department declined to comment on Solimene’s transfer.
At the same time, the bureau agreed to another request from the administration, which involves printing $100 notes bearing Trump’s signature. According to staff, such notes are already being printed in central Washington. These are the first notes in US history to bear the signature of a sitting president.
Experts on US currency note that current legislation does not prohibit the printing of banknotes bearing Trump’s signature. However, the creation of a $250 banknote featuring his portrait would require a decision by Congress.
Former Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Larry Felix stated that a $250 banknote does not have legislative authorisation without a separate act of Congress.
The technical preparation of the new banknote is a separate issue. According to experts, this would require lengthy coordination with the Federal Reserve, the Secret Service and private partners.
The initiative for a $250 banknote coincides with the Trump administration’s plans to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Other proposals included a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and a ‘Garden of Heroes’ in Washington featuring 250 statues.
In February 2025, Congressman Joe Wilson introduced a bill that would require the Secretary of the Treasury to print $250 Federal Reserve notes bearing a portrait of Donald Trump. The bill was referred to the House Financial Services Committee, but no hearings were held on it.
In January, Congressman Andy Barr posted a photo showing him and Brandon Beach holding a mock-up of a banknote featuring the colours of the American flag and the ‘250’ logo. Artist Ian Alexander confirmed that this was his design, created after receiving feedback from Trump.
According to Alexander, for the reverse side of the banknote, he proposed the theme of ‘women’s liberation’ featuring Betsy Ross, who sewed flags during the American Revolution.
