'Trump Dollar' to Be Issued... First-Ever Sitting President's Signature on U.S. Banknotes

Printing to Begin in June
Signature of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Also Included

The signature of U.S. President Donald Trump will appear on U.S. dollar bills. This marks the first time in American history that the sitting president’s signature will be featured on the country’s currency.

An employee is organizing US dollar bills at the Hana Bank Counterfeit Response Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

Major foreign media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported that on the 26th (local time), the U.S. Department of the Treasury made this decision to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. It is reported that the new $100 bills will be printed starting in June. The new bills will display both President Trump’s name and the signature of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent side by side. The space for the signature of the Treasurer, which had been maintained for more than 100 years, will be eliminated.

The WSJ explained that this move is interpreted as part of President Trump’s efforts to permanently imprint his legacy on American society through “personal branding.” Since regaining office last year, President Trump has been pushing to mint $1 coins and 24K gold coins featuring his face. There are also discussions about renaming Washington Dulles Airport to “Trump Airport.”

In a statement, Secretary Bessent said, “There is no stronger way to honor America’s historic achievements and President Trump than to inscribe his name on the dollar,” adding, “It is appropriate to issue this historic currency in time for the 250th anniversary of the founding.”

However, foreign media pointed out that it is highly unusual to include the president’s signature. Former Director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Larry Felix described it as “a very unusual move,” adding, “Since there is a high likelihood that the next administration will remove this signature, bills bearing President Trump’s name could become popular as rare collector’s items.”

On the other hand, there has been strong criticism as well. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist who served in the George W. Bush administration, questioned, “How does this serve the national interest?” and pointed out, “It could be useless in an era when cash usage is declining.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.