Key Policy Update
US President Donald Trump is set to become the first sitting president in history to have his signature put on US paper currency.
In an announcement on Thursday, the US Department of the Treasury said the move would mark the 250th anniversary of the US. It will put both Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signatures on future US notes.
“There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S. dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” Bessent said.
Until now, the tradition has been to put the signatures of the treasurer and the Treasury secretary on US paper currency. This move would mark the first time in history that a sitting president is placing his signature on US currency.
Regulatory Context
According to a report from Reuters on Thursday, the first $100 bills with Trump and Bessent’s signatures will be printed in June, with other bills following in later months.
Trump’s name and likeness have also made their way to cryptocurrencies, famous landmarks and commemorative coins.
Alongside the Treasury’s plans to put Trump’s signature on US notes, there are also potentially $1 coins with the president’s face on them that could enter circulation as part of the US’s 250th anniversary.
In late 2025, the US Mint released three proposed designs bearing Trump’s face and the caption “In God We Trust.”
What To Watch
Trump has also helped oversee the renaming of major US landmarks such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The board of the Kennedy Center, reportedly filled with Trump appointees, voted in late December to change the name to the “Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
This has prompted pushback, however, with lawmakers arguing that the move is illegal when done without authorization from Congress.
In the crypto world, Trump has a memecoin named after himself and he has also released multiple NFT projects, including the Trump Digital Trading Cards.
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