Donald Trump is set to become the first sitting United States (US) president to have his signature on US banknotes, the treasury department has announced.
Trump’s signature will appear alongside treasury secretary Scott Bessent, an unprecedented move that the department said would mark America’s 250th anniversary.
“There is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country and president Donald J Trump than US dollar bills bearing his name,” Bessent says.
US banknotes have traditionally carried the signatures of treasury officials.
It is the latest move by the administration to associate Trump’s name with a range of government programmes and public buildings.
The first US$100 bills with the signatures of Trump and Bessent will be printed in June, with others to follow.
Notes currently being printed bear the signatures of former president Joe Biden’s treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, and treasurer Lynn Malerba.
It has been tradition since 1861 for the US treasurer’s signature to appear on bank notes, a tradition that would end under the Trump administration’s plans.
Ahead of the 250th anniversary, Bessent says printing currency bearing Trump’s name would be a “powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country” and the president.
Current US treasurer Brandon Beach vowed the country’s currency will “continue to stand as a symbol of prosperity, strength, and the unshakable spirit of the American people”.
This year sees the 250th anniversary of the formal declaration when the 13 original American colonies, later states, declared their independence from Britain.
Democratic Party governor of California and long-time Trump critic Gavin Newsom has responded to the announcement with an attack on the president’s economic record.
“Now Americans will know exactly who to blame as they’re paying more for groceries, gas, rent, and health care,” he posted on social media.
Earlier this month, a federal arts commission approved a commemorative 24-karat gold coin bearing the image of Trump, also to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
During his first term in office, president Trump’s name appeared on paper support cheques sent to millions of Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic. – BBC
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