Trump Reimagines America by Putting Himself on Its Money [View all]

Cash might be a relic, but — like royalty and emperors — President Trump still wants his face on American currency.

First he ordered up a commemorative coin bearing his face. Then he added his signature to the nation’s money. Now, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, President Trump wants to create a $250 bill featuring a portrait of himself.

The remaking of America’s currency with a new note bearing Mr. Trump’s likeness would be the biggest overhaul to the nation’s money in more than a century. It is also the latest effort by a billionaire president to put his imprint on an economy that he has remade with tax cuts and tariffs. But for Mr. Trump, the addition of his portrait to the greenback would represent something even more consequential: a permanent fusing of his personal brand with the nation’s identity.

The future of the initiative remains uncertain given that the United States has a law that forbids anyone still living from appearing on paper currency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that he did not think that there was “anything untoward” about having the current president of the United States on the 250th anniversary bill.

The imagery on currency has for years captivated Americans. The movement in 2016 to replace President Andrew Jackson with the abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill stirred a contentious national debate. The prospect of Mr. Trump adding his portrait to the money shows how currency remains an important reflection of America’s identity, even as transactions increasingly become digital.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/us/politics/trump-american-money.html?unlocked_article_code=1.slA.GiI4.-xksgyfB3dvz&smid=url-share