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Treasury Department political appointees pressed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 banknote bearing President Donald Trump's portrait, a move that would mark the first time a living person has appeared on American currency in more than 150 years, according to four current and former employees of the bureau. The official who pushed back on the effort was removed from her post.
Beginning last year, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser, Mike Brown, repeatedly urged bureau staff to develop prototype designs for the note, employees said. The push has drawn alarm inside the agency because federal law currently prohibits living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency, a restriction that has been in place since the 19th century.
Beach and Brown provided bureau staff with mock-up designs for the proposed note as early as August, including a version placing Trump's portrait at the center of the bill. The note also carries the signatures of Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
British painter Iain Alexander, who designed the mock-up, told The Washington Post he discussed the concept directly with the president, and that Trump approved changes to the original design, among them the addition of American flag colors and a logo commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary.
The denomination is framed, at least in part, as a semiquincentennial tribute: the United States marks its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Legislation enabling the note, the "Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act," was introduced in the House in February 2025 by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), who argued that inflation had forced Americans to carry more physical cash. That bill remains stalled in Congress.
In a statement, a Treasury Department spokesperson said the bureau "is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence" and that, should the legislation be signed into law, it is "moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation."
Patricia "Patty" Solimene, a 24-year Army veteran and the first woman to serve as director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, repeatedly explained to Beach and Brown the legal and procedural obstacles involved in producing the bill. She was abruptly reassigned from her post on April 27. In a farewell letter to staff, Solimene said the reassignment was not her choice and that she was leaving with a "heavy heart." She added that she had "never sacrificed the values or character of myself or the organization." Her sign-off was pointed: "The buck stopped here."
Since her departure, Brown has assumed the role of acting director of the bureau. The Treasury Department declined to comment on Solimene's reassignment; the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Currency experts say that while no law explicitly prevents adding Trump's signature to existing denominations, placing his image on a new note would likely violate current federal statute.
Separately, employees told The Post that Solimene and bureau staff had agreed to a different administration request: printing $100 bills carrying Trump's signature. Those bills are currently being produced at the bureau's Washington facility and would be the first U.S. currency notes to feature the signature of a sitting president.
"Based on the recommendation of U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, Secretary Bessent will recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Trump by adding his signature to the currency," a Treasury statement said.
Since returning to office, Trump has attached his name to a range of federal documents, buildings, and initiatives. Congressional Republicans have advanced separate proposals to honor the president, including legislation to make his birthday a federal holiday, to add his likeness to Mount Rushmore, and to rename Washington Dulles International Airport and the capital's Metro system in his honor.
U.S. currency has historically featured deceased statesmen and founding figures. Bills currently in circulation carry the portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. High-denomination notes above $100, including $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 bills, were last printed in 1945 and discontinued in 1969 due to lack of use.
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