Officials from the Trump administration are reportedly pressuring the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 banknote featuring the American president’s portrait. If such an initiative proceeds, it would mark the first time since 1866 that a living person would appear on U.S. currency.
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According to a report by the Washington Post, since 2025, two politically appointed Treasury Department officials, Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior advisor Mike Brown, have repeatedly asked Bureau of Engraving and Printing staff to proceed with preparing test designs for the new banknote. This initiative, according to agency employees, caused concern, as current federal law stipulates that only deceased persons can be depicted on American currency.
Breaking news: Trump administration officials have pressed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring the president’s portrait, in what would be the first appearance of a living person on U.S. currency in more than 150 years. https://t.co/S8sqdKSB7i
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 28, 2026
As part of this effort, Beach presented mockups of the banknote to bureau staff in August and September, including one depicting Donald Trump’s face in the center of the $250 bill, flanked by the signatures of the President and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The artist who claimed to have designed the mockup stated he had spoken with Trump about it. British painter Iain Alexander said Trump approved changes to his original design, such as adding American flag colors and a logo honoring the country’s 250th anniversary. “He likes to call me his favorite British artist,” Alexander said.
No living person has appeared on U.S. currency since 1866
No living person has appeared on U.S. currency since 1866, when this was banned after the image of a mid-level Treasury Department bureaucrat appeared on a five-cent note. Legislation that would allow Trump to appear on a $250 bill was introduced in Congress last year to honor the country’s 250th anniversary, but has remained pending.
A Treasury Department spokesperson noted that the bureau is conducting “appropriate planning and due diligence” in response to the proposed legislation. “Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) is proactively proceeding with production of a commemorative $250 bill that will appropriately honor the 250th anniversary of our great nation,” the statement noted. Bureau Director Patricia “Patty” Solimene and other staff members repeatedly explained to Beach and Brown that there were legal and procedural obstacles to producing the banknote and that it would take years longer than they had imagined to make their wish reality. “She had told them we don’t have authorization to do this. We can’t proceed further, and all stakeholders haven’t even met to discuss next steps. It often takes six to eight years to produce a new banknote, especially one of such high denomination,” emphasized one employee.
The forced reassignment of the bureau director
Solimene, an Army veteran with 24 years of service and the first woman director of the bureau, said she was abruptly reassigned from her position by Treasury Department leadership on April 27, writing the next day in an email to colleagues that she was leaving with a “heavy heart.” In her farewell email, she wrote that she had been reassigned to another position within the Treasury Department and that her departure was not her choice. “I never sacrificed my values or character or that of the organization and always prioritized the U.S. Currency Program and the value each employee brings to the mission. The buck stopped here,” she wrote. However, she did not clarify the reason for the reassignment.
The challenges for his depiction on the $250 bill
Solimene and her staff had agreed to another government request: to print $100 bills with Trump’s signature. These banknotes, which would be the first in U.S. history to bear a sitting president’s signature, are currently being printed at the bureau’s facilities in downtown Washington. “Based on the recommendation of U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, Secretary Bessent will recognize the historic achievements of our great nation and President Trump by adding his signature to currency,” the Treasury Department statement noted.
While no law prohibits printing banknotes with Trump’s signature, U.S. monetary policy experts note that producing a $250 bill with the president’s image would violate existing legislation. One law stipulates that only “deceased persons” can be depicted on American currency. Another law defines the denominations the bureau is permitted to issue.
Larry R. Felix, former bureau director, stated that “a $250 bill is not permitted by law” without Congressional legislation. “The Secretary must receive authorization to do this,” he emphasized, referring to Bessent. A second challenge, according to experts, is that designing and printing any new banknote typically requires extensive coordination with the Federal Reserve, Secret Service, and private sector partners. As Felix notes, it took over a decade to design and produce a $100 bill with dozens of embedded security features that prevent counterfeiting.
The effort to issue a $250 bill comes as the Trump administration plans to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, which begins this July. Trump has proposed building a 250-foot triumphal arch at the foot of Arlington National Cemetery and a “Garden of Heroes” in Washington with 250 statues. Last month, the State Department announced it would begin issuing passports with Trump’s image and signature to honor the anniversary, a move that did not require Congressional approval.
