- Trump becomes the first sitting US president to appear on official paper currency notes.
- New $100 bills with Trump’s signature are scheduled to begin printing in June 2026.
- The move ends the 165-year tradition of Treasurer signatures on US federal currency.
America is about to get a new look at its most recognised export: the US dollar. President Donald Trump’s signature will appear on future US paper currency alongside that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, marking the first time in American history that a sitting president’s name has ever appeared on the nation’s banknotes.
The announcement, made by the Treasury Department on March 26, ties the change to the United States’ 250th anniversary, known as the Semiquincentennial, arriving in 2026.
When Will You See It?
The first bills to carry Trump’s signature will be the $100 note, with printing beginning in June 2026. Other denominations will follow in subsequent months, though the new bills may take several weeks to work their way through the banking system and into circulation.
For now, the Treasury is still producing notes carrying the signatures of former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and former Treasurer Lynn Malerba, meaning both versions will coexist in wallets and cash registers for some time.
A Historic Break With Tradition
Traditionally, US banknotes carry two signatures: that of the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Treasury. Trump’s signature will replace the Treasurer’s, making him the first sitting president whose name will appear on circulating federal currency.
Malerba, whose signature currently appears on US notes, will also be the last in an unbroken line of treasurers whose names have featured on American federal currency stretching all the way back to 1861, when the government first issued it. That 165-year tradition ends with this change.
The US law prohibits the portrait of a living individual from appearing on coins, which is why an earlier push for a circulating $1 Trump coin did not move forward. Banknotes, however, operate under different rules, giving the Treasury broad discretion over design changes.
The Reaction
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the move, saying there was “no more powerful way to recognise the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than US dollar bills bearing his name.”
Current Treasurer Brandon Beach called Trump the “architect of America’s Golden Age economic revival,” adding that printing his signature on the currency was “not only appropriate, but also well deserved.”
Former Treasurer Jovita Carranza, who served during Trump’s first term, described the change as a powerful symbol of American resilience and the enduring strength of free enterprise.
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