Trump's Signature Will Appear on US Currency, Ending a 165-Year Tradition
Starting this summer, US paper currency will carry President Donald Trump's signature — making him the first sitting president to sign American money and eliminating the US Treasurer's signature for the first time since 1861. The Treasury says the move honors the nation's 250th anniversary.
The Announcement
The US Treasury Department announced on Thursday, March 26, 2026 that US paper currency will bear President Donald Trump's signature starting this summer, according to Reuters. This would mark the first time a sitting president has signed American money.
The first $100 bills bearing Trump's signature and that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will be printed in June 2026, followed by other denominations in subsequent months, according to Reuters and AP. The new bills may take several weeks to circulate through banks after printing.
The overall designs of the bills will not change except for the replacement of the US Treasurer's signature with Trump's, Treasury officials said, according to Reuters.
A 165-Year Tradition Ends
Since 1861 — when the US government first issued paper currency — bills have carried the signature of the US Treasurer, an official who reports to the Treasury Secretary and oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the US Mint, and other Treasury functions, according to Reuters.
The outgoing Treasurer Lynn Malerba, who served under President Biden, will be the last in an unbroken line of treasurers whose signatures appeared on US federal currency, according to Reuters. The Treasury is still producing notes bearing the signatures of former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Malerba.
The current Treasurer, Brandon Beach, whose name has not appeared on circulating currency, issued a statement in support of the change, calling Trump "the architect of a golden age economic revival," according to The Guardian.
An earlier effort by the Trump administration to place his image on a circulating $1 coin was blocked by laws prohibiting the depiction of living individuals on US coins, according to Reuters.
Legal Framework
A federal statute governing the printing of Federal Reserve notes gives the Treasury broad discretion to change bill designs to guard against counterfeiting, according to Reuters. The law requires keeping certain elements, including the words "In God We Trust," and allows only portraits of deceased individuals — but it does not restrict whose signature can appear.
The Treasury announced the change does not require congressional approval, according to NBC News. The department cited the Semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of American independence, which falls in 2026 — as the occasion for the change.
What Officials Said
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a statement defending the move. According to Reuters, 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, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial."
US Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement, according to The Guardian, that American currency would "continue to stand as a symbol of prosperity, strength, and the unshakable spirit of the American people under President Trump's leadership."
Jovita Carranza, who served as Treasurer during Trump's first term, called the change "a powerful symbol of American resilience, the enduring strength of free enterprise and the promise of continued greatness," according to Reuters.
Former Treasurer Lynn Malerba declined to comment, according to Reuters.
Context: The Broader Pattern
The currency change is part of a broader series of moves by the Trump administration to attach the president's name and image to public assets and institutions. Reuters noted that the administration has previously sought to affix Trump's name to buildings, government programs, warships, and coins. A federal arts panel with Trump-appointed members also approved, the week of March 26, a design for a commemorative gold coin bearing Trump's image, according to Reuters.
Vanity Fair was the first outlet to report the currency announcement, according to Reuters. The story was subsequently confirmed and expanded by Reuters, AP, NBC News, The Guardian, and Fox News.
Timeline
- 1861: US government first issued paper currency; the Treasurer's signature has appeared on bills continuously since then, according to Reuters.
- March 26, 2026: Treasury Department announced Trump's signature will replace the Treasurer's on all new currency.
- June 2026: First $100 bills with Trump's and Bessent's signatures scheduled to be printed, according to Reuters.
- Later 2026: Other denominations to follow in subsequent months.