The signature change is the latest effort by the Trump administration and its allies to put the president’s name on buildings, institutions, government programs, warships and coins. A federal arts panel, whose members Trump appointed, approved last week the design for a commemorative gold coin with Trump’s image.
Bessent said in a statement that the move was appropriate for the US 250th anniversary, given strong US economic growth and financial stability during Trump’s second term.
“There is 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, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” Bessent said.
An effort for a circulating US$1 Trump coin was set back by laws prohibiting the depiction of living individuals on US coins.
A statute governing the printing of Federal Reserve notes gives the Treasury broad discretion to change designs to guard against counterfeiting. The law requires keeping certain elements, including the words In God We Trust, and only allows portraits of deceased individuals.
The overall designs of bills will not change, except for Trump’s signature replacing the Treasurer’s, Treasury officials said. A mock-up of the US$100 bill with Trump’s signature was not immediately available.
Malerba, the former treasurer, declined to comment on the Trump administration’s move.
Her predecessor, Jovita Carranza, who served as treasurer in Trump’s first term, called the change “a powerful symbol of American resilience, the enduring strength of free enterprise and the promise of continued greatness”.
The current treasurer, Brandon Beach, whose name has not appeared on the currency, also issued a supportive statement, saying Trump was the architect of a “golden age economic revival”.