US paper currency will bear President Donald Trump’s signature starting this summer. The redesign plans to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and for the first time in 165 years, it will drop the signature of the US treasurer.
The first $100 bills with Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signatures will be printed in June. Other denominations follow later. New notes may take weeks to circulate through banks.
The Treasury is still producing currency with former Secretary Janet Yellen’s and former Treasurer Lynn Malerba’s signatures. The signature change is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to imprint his name on buildings, institutions, government programs, warships, and coins.
Bessent said this move was appropriate for the country’s 250th anniversary, citing strong economic growth during Trump’s second term. However, introducing a circulating $1 coin with Trump has faced hurdles due to laws prohibiting living individuals on US coins.
The statute governing Federal Reserve notes gives Treasury broad discretion to change designs against counterfeiting but requires retaining certain elements like “In God We Trust” and only portraits of deceased individuals. Officials said the overall design will remain unchanged, aside from replacing the treasurer’s signature with Trump’s.