A Fort Worth currency plant will begin printing greenbacks bearing President Donald Trump’s signature later this year, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced March 26 that the president’s name will appear on all bills in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The money factory in Washington, D.C., is already producing the new notes, said Lydia Washington, spokesperson for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility in Fort Worth, which produces half of the nation’s currency, currently produces $1, $20 and $50 denominations, Washington said.
Both printers “will ultimately produce denominations with the president’s signature,” Washington said.
The release of the first of the “Trump bills” into circulation will take place in June ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., according to The New York Times.
“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, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the semiquincentennial,” Bessent said in a statement.
Treasury officials first signed the greenbacks in 1862 to assure their legitimacy against counterfeiting during the Civil War.
However, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln appeared on $10 notes in 1861 when he was president.
Paper bills have been signed by the U.S. secretary of the treasury and the treasurer since 1914.
Trump’s signature will take the place of Treasurer Brandon Beach, a former Georgia state senator who was appointed by Trump. Beach said he welcomed having the president on the currency.
“As the 250th anniversary of our great nation approaches, American currency will continue to stand as a symbol of prosperity, strength and the unshakable spirit of the American people under President Trump’s leadership,” Beach said.
The move does not require congressional approval since the treasury secretary has authority on who signs the currency and on anti-counterfeit measures.
U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, compared Trump to Saddam Hussein, the autocratic Iraqi president who was overthrown in 2003 by U.S. coalition forces.
“Reminds me of Saddam’s pic plastered all over Iraq, before he was dethroned,” Veasey said.
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, said he initially thought no one beyond the signatures of the treasury secretary and treasurer were eligible to appear on U.S. currency.
“I think he will be the first president to achieve this effort,” Sessions said.
Other proposals in Congress propose placing Trump’s image on the paper currency.
Federal law only allows money to feature portraits of people who have died.
U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, introduced a bill to put Trump on the $100 note and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina, has a bill to create a new commemorative denomination of $250 for the 250th anniversary.
However, living people have appeared on commemorative coins that are not intended for circulation and everyday use.
Trump’s portrait will be on a 24-karat gold commemorative coin that was approved by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Maria Recio is a freelance reporter based in Washington, D.C.
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