BY COMFORT OGBONNA
U.S. paper currency will feature President Donald Trump’s signature beginning this summer, marking the first time in history that a sitting president has signed American money, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday.
The redesigned bills are part of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence and will also eliminate, for the first time in 165 years, the signature of the U.S. treasurer. Traditionally, the treasurer, who reports to the Treasury Secretary and oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the U.S. Mint, and other Treasury operations, has had their signature on all Federal Reserve notes.
The first $100 bills bearing Trump’s signature, alongside that of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, are scheduled to be printed in June. Additional denominations will follow in subsequent months, though it may take several weeks for the new bills to circulate widely through banks and financial institutions.
Meanwhile, the Treasury is still producing notes carrying the signatures of former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and former Treasurer Lynn Malerba. Malerba will become the final treasurer in an unbroken line dating back to 1861, when the U.S. government first began issuing federal currency.
Treasury officials said the signature change aligns with broader efforts by the Trump administration and its allies to place the president’s name on national institutions, government programs, coins, and even warships. In a related initiative, a federal arts panel recently approved the design of a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s likeness, the first such coin depicting a living president.
Bessent described the change as a fitting tribute for the nation’s Semiquincentennial, citing strong economic growth and financial stability during Trump’s second term. “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,” he said.
A previous proposal to issue a circulating $1 Trump coin was blocked by existing law, which prohibits depicting living individuals on U.S. coins. However, the statute governing Federal Reserve note production gives the Treasury broad discretion to modify designs to prevent counterfeiting, while preserving essential features such as the words “In God We Trust” and portraits of deceased individuals.
The overall design of the bills will remain unchanged, with Trump’s signature simply replacing the treasurer’s. Mock-ups of the new $100 bill have not yet been released.
Former treasurer Lynn Malerba declined to comment on the announcement. Her predecessor, Jovita Carranza, who served during Trump’s first term, called the move “a powerful symbol of American resilience, the enduring strength of free enterprise, and the promise of continued greatness.”
Current treasurer Brandon Beach, whose name has not appeared on currency, also expressed support, describing Trump as the architect of a “golden age economic revival” for the nation.
The introduction of bills with a sitting president’s signature represents a historic shift in U.S. currency tradition and reflects ongoing efforts to mark the nation’s 250-year milestone with distinctive symbols of leadership and national pride.
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