WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday released an image of a redesigned $100 bill bearing his signature, marking the first public preview of the currency after the Treasury Department announced in March that a sitting president’s name would appear on U.S. paper money for the first time.
The image shows Trump’s signature above that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Previous versions of the $100 bill carried the signatures of the Treasury secretary and the treasurer of the United States.
The Treasury Department announced the signature change in March as part of the nation’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.
The redesigned $100 bill is separate from a proposal in Congress to issue a commemorative $250 bill featuring Trump’s portrait.
Current U.S. law allows only the portrait of a deceased individual to appear on American currency. A bill introduced in the House would create an exception for former and sitting presidents, but the measure would require Democratic support in the Senate to become law, according to CNN.
Bessent told CNN in May that he saw no issue with placing Trump’s portrait on a proposed $250 bill if Congress approves the legislation.
“There’s anything untoward” about the proposal, Bessent said, adding that political appointees had prepared prototypes in anticipation of possible congressional action.
