President Donald Trump is adding his name to U.S. dollar bills, the first time a sitting president’s signature will go on paper currency, the Treasury Department announced Thursday.
Trump’s signature will go on the bills in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, the Treasury said. Historically, paper currency carries the signatures of the treasury secretary and the treasurer.
“The President’s mark on history as the architect of America’s Golden Age economic revival is undeniable," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved.”
U.S. paper currency has featured the treasurer along with the treasury secretary’s or the register of the treasurer’s signatures since it was first printed in 1861.
Polls show voters are unhappy with the economy, citing rising inflation and high cost of living. Oil prices have also risen since the start of the Iran war, causing some voters to express dismay.
Trump’s signature on the dollar bills is not the only representation of him that Americans can expect to see on U.S. currency this year.
A federal commission of Trump-appointed members recently approved a design that would include Trump's image on 24-karat commemorative gold coins, also in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary. That coin's design still requires official approval from the Treasury.
In 2020, Trump stamped his name onto Covid stimulus checks, which gave direct cash payments to Americans during the pandemic.
Adding his name to U.S. currency is Trump’s latest effort to leave his mark on the federal government in ways other presidents haven't.
Trump's name is now affixed to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington. It's also attached to discount drug programs, savings accounts and proposed warships.
