Donald Trump pushing for his face to be printed on $250 banknote
US President Donald Trump reportedly pressured his portrait to be printed on the $250 bill.
Treasury Secretary Brandon Beach and his adviser Mike Brown, both hand-picked by Trump, called on U.S. Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing staff to create mock-ups of the bill. Washington Post.
The president is said to have personally discussed the designs with the artist.
The banknote will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters on Thursday (US time) that he didn’t think there was “anything wrong” with the person becoming president appearing on the bill on the anniversary.
He said legislation is now in Congress that would potentially change the law that prevents living people from appearing on U.S. currency. He said the models were created to prepare for the bill’s passage through Congress.
“No human being currently alive can be on U.S. currency, and the currency must say ‘In God We Trust,'” Bessent said.
“There is currently a bill before the Senate that would change the initial requirement for a living person (Donald J. Trump) to appear on the $250 bill.”
He continued: “So we made preparations in advance that if the law was passed, we would abide by the law.”
The bill before Congress was introduced by Republican congressman Joe Wilson in February last year and has made little progress.
Treasury employees said Washington Post This request raised alarm bells, as it is illegal to print or engrave images of people living in the United States on the country’s currency.
Beach is said to have provided office staff with designs for the note, including one that showed the U.S. president’s image in the middle of the note and was signed by Trump and Bessent.
In a mock-up of the note obtained by Washington PostWhat appeared to be used was Trump’s 2023 mug shot. The photo was taken at the Fulton County Jail on August 24, 2023, following an indictment on election racketeering charges.
According to British artist Ian Alexander, who claims to have designed the note, Trump requested tweaks to the design, including the addition of the colors of the US flag and a logo commemorating the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
Alexander told to mail Trump refers to him as his “favorite British artist.”
A living person has not been featured on US banknotes since 1886. This practice was banned after the portrait of a mid-level treasury secretary appeared on 5-cent bills.
A Treasury spokesman said: to mail The office “conducted appropriate planning and due diligence” in response to the proposal, it said.
