The United States Treasury Department announced on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s signature will appear on all new American paper currency, making him the first sitting president in the nation’s history to have his name printed on U.S. banknotes.
The redesigned notes, planned to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, will for the first time in 165 years drop the signature of the U.S. Treasurer, who traditionally has appeared alongside the Treasury Secretary on all federally issued paper currency since 1861. The first redesigned $100 bills bearing Trump’s signature and that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are expected to be produced in June, followed by other denominations in the months after.
Lynn Malerba, the former U.S. Treasurer, will be the last in an unbroken line of officeholders whose signatures have appeared on federal currency since the government first issued paper notes in 1861.
Treasury Secretary Bessent framed the decision as fitting for the nation’s milestone year. He described the move as the most powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of the country during Trump’s second term, citing what the administration characterises as strong economic growth and financial stability.
Michael Bordo, director of the Center for Monetary and Financial History at Rutgers University, said the move will undoubtedly draw political pushback, though he noted uncertainty about whether any legal lines had been crossed, since the Treasury Secretary may have the authority to determine who signs the currency.
A federal commission of Trump-appointed members recently approved a design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing the president’s image to mark America’s 250th birthday on 4 July, though that design still requires official approval from the Treasury.
Democrats in Congress have introduced legislation to prohibit any living or sitting president from being featured on any U.S. currency. One Democratic lawmaker described the Treasury plan as “gross and un-American,” arguing the announcement comes as Americans face rising costs at the grocery store and the fuel pump.
The move is the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to attach the president’s name to American institutions, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the U.S. Institute of Peace, discount drug programmes, savings accounts, and proposed warships.
