Trump posts new image of US$100 bill with his signature

U.S. President Donald Trump shared an image of a US$100 dollar bill featuring his signature via his Truth Social account. (Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump via CNN Newsource)

U.S. President Donald Trump posted a new image Friday of a US$100 bill bearing his signature, months after the Treasury Department announced that, for the first time, a sitting president’s signature would be featured on U.S. paper currency.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Saturday touted the president’s economic achievements and said it is “only appropriate” that currency bearing Trump’s signature be issued in honour of the nation’s 250th birthday.

“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 signature, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” Bessent posted on X.

Bessent said in March that the administration planned to feature Trump’s signature on U.S. currency in honour of the 250th. U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach posted Saturday that “we look forward to these $100 notes to soon be in circulation.”

The image Trump posted shows the president’s signature above Bessent’s. Previously, the $100 bill featured the signatures of the U.S. Treasury secretary and the treasurer of the United States, but not the sitting president.

“The President’s mark on history as the architect of America’s Golden Age economic revival is undeniable. Printing his signature on the American currency is not only appropriate, but also well deserved,” Beach said in the March announcement.

Trump has made it a passion project to get his name and likeness on an array of U.S. documents and landmarks. His administration also has put his image, name or both on a commemorative U.S. passport, national parks passes, banners on various agency buildings in D.C., cultural institutions like the U.S. Institute of Peace and special investment accounts for babies. Florida also renamed Palm Beach International Airport after him.

Some in Congress have wanted to go a step further and put Trump’s likeness on currency, introducing a bill to get his portrait on a $250 anniversary bill. That outcome is far less likely, given it would need the support of Democratic senators in Congress. U.S. code states that “Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities,” but the U.S. House bill seeks to “create an exception for individuals who are or were President of the United States.”

Earlier this year, staff at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing were preparing prototypes for the $250 bill featuring Trump’s portrait and signature. Bessent told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in May that he didn’t think “there’s anything untoward” about putting Trump’s portrait on U.S. currency.

Asked by Collins whether political appointees were involved, Bessent responded: “Yeah, of course. But we prepare for everything if it gets passed.”

This post has been updated with additional developments.

By Kit Maher, CNN