The Trump administration is pushing hard to create a $250 banknote featuring President Trump’s portrait. Federal law currently mandates that only deceased individuals can be depicted on American bills, but administration officials are actively working to bypass these traditional boundaries for the nation’s 250th anniversary. Per the Washington Post, if they succeed, this would mark the first time a living person appears on US currency in over 150 years.
Starting last year, two political appointees at the Treasury Department, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser, Mike Brown, began repeatedly urging staff at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) to create prototypes for this new note. These efforts included providing bureau staff with mock-up designs in August and September. However, staff from the department had concerns regarding both legal and procedural requirements.
