The U.S. Treasury Department announced on March 26, 2026, that Trump's signature will appear on future U.S. paper currency alongside that of the Treasury secretary, “marking the first time in history for a sitting president.” Trump's signature will replace the Treasurer of the United States' signature, which, along with the secretary's or the register's, has appeared on paper currency since it was first printed in 1861.
Treasury framed the change as honoring America's 250th anniversary. According to Reuters, as cited by Fox News, the first $100 bills with the signatures of Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be produced in June, with other denominations to follow in the coming months.
Bessent said, “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.” Treasurer Brandon Beach, whose office's signature is being removed, said, “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.”
Critics were less enthusiastic. Rep. Shontel Brown called the plan “gross and un-American. But at least it will remind us who to thank when we pay more for gas, goods, and groceries.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote, “Now Americans will know exactly who to blame as they're paying more for groceries, gas, rent, and health care.” Critics on social media quoted by HuffPost called it “disgusting” and “vainglory,” and one likened it to “Stalin's personality cult.” Al Jazeera noted that GDP grew 2.2% in 2025, slightly below the 2.5% average from 2022 to 2024, which undercuts the “Golden Age” framing.
Federal law bars the image of a living president on currency, but a signature is not an image. Rutgers monetary historian Michael Bordo told Fortune the move would draw political pushback, “but I do not know if he has crossed any legal red lines,” since the Treasury secretary may have authority to decide who signs the currency.
The announcement is part of a pattern. A Trump-appointed Commission of Fine Arts approved the design of a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing Trump's image, and a proposed $1 coin featuring him is under review. In 2020, Trump put his name on Covid stimulus checks. His name has also been added to the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Institute of Peace, TrumpRx, the Trump Accounts savings program and a proposed class of warships.
Correction (October 14, 2026): The title previously called Trump the first sitting president “in 165 years” to put his name on currency; he is the first ever, and the 165 years refers to the Treasurer's signature he replaces. Several claims that no remaining source supports were cut: that the Thayer Amendment of 1866 bars living people from currency and was passed because a Treasury official put his own image on money; that the administration argued a signature is not a “depiction”; that the planned $1 coin shows his face on both sides; that the 2020 stimulus-check signature delayed 35 million checks; and that the signature will stay on bills unless a later administration reverses it. The “Stalin's personality cult” comparison is now attributed to a social media post quoted by HuffPost, not to HuffPost. A Reuters link that could not be verified was dropped.