For the First Time, a Sitting President’s Signature Heads to U.S. Currency

The Treasury Department said Thursday that President Donald J. Trump’s signature will soon appear on United States paper currency, marking the first time the signature of a sitting president will be printed on American bills. The change means Trump’s name will replace the long-standing practice of showing only the treasurer’s signature on federal notes, a tradition that dates back to 1861.

According to the announcement, the first $100 bills featuring Trump’s signature alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signature are expected to be printed beginning in June. Additional denominations of U.S. currency will be updated afterward.

The decision is part of a broader series of actions in which Trump’s name or likeness has been connected to major American institutions and commemorations. These have included renaming the U.S. Institute of Peace, changes involving the Kennedy Center performing arts venue, and the naming of a new class of battleships. Earlier this month, a federal arts commission also approved the design of a 24-karat gold commemorative coin featuring Trump’s image as part of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary celebration.

Bessent said the change to U.S. currency is appropriate as the country approaches the semiquincentennial, pointing to what he described as strong economic growth, financial stability, and continued global strength of the U.S. dollar during Trump’s second term. He said placing Trump’s signature on the bills is a way to recognize both the country’s accomplishments and the president’s leadership.

Treasury officials said the overall design of the currency will remain the same aside from the updated signature. Trump’s name will remain on the bills unless a future administration decides to make another change.

Federal law allows the Treasury Department to modify currency designs to address issues such as counterfeiting, but it also requires certain elements to remain in place. These include the phrase “In God We Trust” and the rule that portraits on U.S. currency must depict deceased individuals.

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