Trump’s Likeness May Be Featured on New $250 Bill

President Donald Trump may soon make history as the first living person—and president in modern times—to appear on U.S. currency, following a Republican-backed proposal for a new $250 bill.

The Washington Post reported Thursday that a draft design of the bill, featuring a prominent portrait of Trump and the phrase America 250 anniversary, has been circulated in anticipation of the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026.

According to the Post, two Trump-appointed officials at the Treasury Department began pressing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing last year to develop prototypes.

However, Bureau employees, speaking anonymously, expressed concern that the move would defy a longstanding federal law prohibiting images of living presidents on U.S. money. Director Patricia Solimene reportedly warned colleagues, including U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, about both legal and procedural hurdles. Solimene was subsequently reassigned from her position, the Post reported.

Despite these concerns, the Trump administration has continued efforts to imprint the former president’s likeness and name on cultural institutions and official items, prompting accusations of cultivating a personality cult. This year, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, composed of Trump appointees, unanimously approved a commemorative “Semiquincentennial Gold Coin.” Meanwhile, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace have both been rebranded to feature Trump’s name. Trump’s image now hangs in federal departments, including Justice and Agriculture, and is expected to appear in future U.S. passports, the State Department confirmed.

While legislation permitting Trump’s image on the $250 bill was introduced in Congress last year, it remains stalled. A Treasury spokesperson told the Post that the Bureau is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence regarding the proposal. Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized the idea, with Senator Mark Warner, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, condemning the move as a blatant attempt to stoke the president’s ego.