'A Deceased Individual': Trump Team Pushes for $250 Bill Featuring POTUS' Face But it Needs a Grim Requirement

Plans linked to Donald Trump's allies to mint a £195 ($250) banknote bearing the president's face are colliding head‑on with a little‑known but long‑standing federal rule that may render the idea legally impossible. Pitched as a patriotic centrepiece for America's 250th anniversary, the proposal has already run into quiet but firm resistance inside parts of the US Treasury.

At the centre of the controversy is a statutory restriction that has governed US currency design for more than a century, raising immediate questions about whether the proposal can move beyond the talking stage.

Trump Team's $250 Bill Ambition Meets Century-Old Currency Rule

The Trump team's proposal reportedly involves issuing a new £195 ($250) bill featuring Trump's portrait as part of celebrations marking the nation's 250th birthday this year. US Treasurer Brandon Beach and adviser Mike Brown reportedly pushed ahead with plans for a new banknote, circulating mock‑up designs to staff in August and September 2025. The drafts featured Donald Trump's portrait on a $250 bill alongside his and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's signatures.

However, federal law appears to prohibit the depiction of living individuals on US currency directly. The restriction is codified under Law 31 U.S.C. § 5114(b), stemming from the 1866 Thayer Amendment (Act of April 7, 1866).

The provision explicitly states: 'Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities. The name of the individual shall be inscribed below the portrait.'

That requirement has effectively barred living figures from appearing on banknotes since the 19th century, creating a significant legal hurdle for any proposal involving a current president. The rule remains one of the most consistently enforced standards in US currency design, limiting political influence over note imagery.

Treasury Tensions And A Sudden Reassignment

Resistance to the proposal reportedly surfaced within the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where Director Patricia Solimene raised concerns about legal and procedural obstacles to producing a new denomination.

'She had told them we're not authorized to do this. We can't progress any further, and all the stakeholders have not even met to discuss the next steps,' a source told The Washington Post. 'Currency often takes six to eight years to produce a new bill, particularly one of such high value.'

On 27 April, Solimene was reportedly reassigned, telling colleagues she was departing the role with a 'heavy heart' and that the change was 'not my choice.'

'The buck stopped here,' the source added.

Brown has since become the agency's acting director. Meanwhile, Solimene's reassignment has drawn attention, given the timing of her objections, though officials have not publicly confirmed any direct link between her concerns and the staffing change.

Can The Trump $250 Bill Actually Happen?

The proposal for a $250 bill featuring Trump's face remains at an early stage, and his team is already doing the work to make it happen. According to the Treasury Department spokesperson, they are already making 'appropriate planning and due diligence' in response to 'active legislation.'

'Should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the BEP is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation,' the spokesperson told CNN.

Additionally, the Treasury spokesperson confirmed that the new bill will 'recognize the historic achievements of our great country and President Trump by adding his signature to the currency.'

The bill has been stuck in Congress for months, and there's no sign it will be approved anytime soon.