Donald Trump’s Treasury Department plans to add his signature to all denominations of US dollar bills. The move is a first, as US paper currency does not feature a president’s signature.
The US Treasury Department has announced it plans to put Donald Trump’s signature on all new paper currency.
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This would be a first for a sitting president, since US paper currency carries the signatures of the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer, not the president. This has been the case since 1861.
Starting in June, Trump’s signature could appear on all new paper currency, beginning with $100 bills, with other denominations to follow.
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent called the move a recognition of "unprecedented economic growth, lasting dollar dominance, and fiscal strength."
Treasurer Brandon Beach went further, calling Trump "the architect of America's Golden Age economic revival" and saying his name on the money is "not only appropriate, but also well deserved."
The announcement coincides with the ongoing effort to get Trump’s face on a coin, which has drawn strong criticism since federal law prohibits the depiction of a living president on US currency.
Euronews Culture reported last week that a commemorative gold coin bearing the image of Donald Trump had been approved by the US Commission of Fine Arts, whose members voted unanimously to approve the design.
Last year, Trump fired the Commission of Fine Arts' members, replacing them with allies.
Like the 24-karat gold coin, the Treasury has stated that the plan to include Trump’s signature on all new paper currency is intended to honour the nation’s 250th birthday.
Michael Bordo, director of the Center for Monetary and Financial History at Rutgers, said the move will undoubtedly come with political pushback, “but I do not know if he has crossed any legal red lines” since the Treasury Secretary may have the authority to decide who signs the currency.
Democrats have criticized the move, with Representative Shontel Brown posting on X that the Treasury plan is “gross and un-American.”
She added: “But at least it will remind us who to thank when we pay more for gas, goods, and groceries.”