US paper currency will soon feature President Donald Trump’s signature going forward, the US Treasury Department announced Thursday, the latest of the president’s efforts to leave his mark across the federal government.
It will be the first time a sitting US president’s signature has appeared on paper notes. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the move is in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” Bessent said in a press release announcing the move.
Trump’s likeness is set to appear on a variety of other 250th anniversary materials issued by the government. Earlier this month, Trump’s handpicked Commission of Fine Arts approved a large commemorative gold coin featuring an image of the president standing with his hands balled into fists on a desk.
The commission is also reviewing a proposed $1 coin featuring Trump. Those plans have raised legal questions because it’s against US law to display the image of a sitting president or living former president on currency. A president may be featured on a coin no sooner than two years following the president’s death.
A sitting president is not prohibited from appearing on commemorative coins. Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation to prohibit any living or sitting president from being featured on any US currency.
In his second term, the Trump administration has pressed on with efforts to plaster his name throughout the government. The government has launched TrumpRx, a website for prescription drugs, in addition to the Trump Gold Card, which gives holders the right to live and work in the US and a path to citizenship for a high price. Trump’s picture also appears on some National Park annual visitor passes and his name has been installed on the building and signage around the US Institute of Peace.
Trump’s handpicked board of trustees at the Kennedy Center have also added his name to the performing arts center, prompting a slew of artists to pull out of performances. The center is soon slated to close for two years for renovations.
