Trump administration pushed for $250 bill bearing president’s portrait

Senior Treasury Department appointees have pressed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump's portrait, pushing the initiative despite federal statutes that restrict US currency imagery to deceased individuals, according to a report published Thursday.

Design proposals and presidential approval

US Treasurer Brandon Beach and senior adviser Mike Brown repeatedly urged bureau staff beginning last year to prepare prototype designs for the high-denomination note, two political appointees at the Treasury Department told The Washington Post on Thursday. Beach provided staff with mock-up designs in August and September, including one featuring Trump's portrait at the center, employees said on condition of anonymity. The proposal would mark the first time a living president appeared on US currency since 1866.

British painter Iain Alexander, who told the newspaper he created the design, said Trump personally approved revisions that added American flag colors and a logo marking the 250th anniversary of the US. “He likes to call me his favorite British artist,” Alexander said, according to the Post.

Legal barriers and leadership removal

No living person has appeared on US currency since 1866, the report noted, and legislation introduced last year to authorize a commemorative $250 bill bearing Trump's image has not advanced in Congress. Patricia Solimene, the bureau's director, warned Treasury appointees of legal and procedural obstacles before her removal from the position on April 27, the newspaper reported.

Solimene, a 24-year army veteran and the bureau's first female director, said in a farewell email that her reassignment to another department role was “not my choice,” though she did not specify the reason. She did not respond to requests for comment.

Signature request and production timelines

Solimene and her staff also agreed to an administration request to print $100 bills bearing Trump's signature, according to four employees, though experts noted that no law blocks a president's signature on currency. The Treasury stated that Secretary Bessent would recognize “the historic achievements of our great country and President Trump” by adding his signature to the currency based on Beach's recommendation. A spokesperson said the Bureau of Engraving and Printing “is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence” on the proposals.

Currency production requires extensive coordination with the Federal Reserve, Secret Service, and private partners, often taking six to eight years for new denominations, bureau staff emphasized. Former director Larry R. Felix noted that the $100 bill alone required over a decade to develop due to security features. One current employee dismissed the proposed timeline as unrealistic, saying “these guys think you can just print something overnight and it’s going to work in an ATM.”