Trump signature to appear on US currency, ending 165-year tradition

WASHINGTON – U.S. paper currency will carry President Donald Trump's signature starting this summer, the Treasury Department announced Thursday, marking the first time a sitting president has signed American money.

The redesigned bills, set to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, will also, for the first time in 165 years, omit the signature of the U.S. treasurer, who traditionally reports to the Treasury Secretary and oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the U.S. Mint, and other Treasury functions.

The first $100 bills with Trump's signature, along with that of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, are scheduled for printing in June. Other denominations will follow in the coming months, though it may take several weeks for the new bills to circulate through banks.

Meanwhile, the Treasury is still producing notes with the signatures of former President Joe Biden's Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and former Treasurer Lynn Malerba. Malerba will be the last in an unbroken line of treasurers whose signatures have appeared on U.S. federal currency since 1861, when the government first issued it.

The signature change is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration and its allies to place the president’s name on buildings, institutions, government programs, warships, and coins. Last week, a federal arts panel—whose members were appointed by Trump—approved a commemorative gold coin featuring his image.

Treasury Secretary Bessent said the move is fitting for the nation’s Semiquincentennial, citing strong U.S. economic growth and financial stability during Trump’s second term.

"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," Bessent said.

Plans for a circulating $1 Trump coin were stalled due to laws prohibiting the depiction of living individuals on U.S. coins.

A statute governing Federal Reserve notes gives the Treasury broad discretion to update designs to prevent counterfeiting. The law still requires certain elements to remain, including the words “In God We Trust,” and allows portraits only of deceased individuals.

Officials confirmed that the overall designs of the bills will remain unchanged, except for the replacement of the Treasurer’s signature with Trump’s. A mock-up of the $100 bill has not yet been released.

Former Treasurer Malerba declined to comment on the change. Her predecessor, Jovita Carranza, who served as treasurer during Trump’s first term, called the move “a powerful symbol of American resilience, the enduring strength of free enterprise, and the promise of continued greatness.”

Current Treasurer Brandon Beach, whose name has not appeared on currency, also expressed support, describing Trump as the architect of a “golden age economic revival.”

The news was first reported by Vanity Fair.

-Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Lisa Shumaker/Reuters