Ending 165-Year Tradition, Trump's Signature to Appear on US Dollar

The US Department of the Treasury has announced that dollar bills will feature the signature of President Donald Trump starting this summer. This policy is the first in history where a sitting president signs the country’s official currency.

This change also ends a 165-year tradition where the signature of the US Treasurer has always been printed on banknotes. The new design is being prepared to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The first $100 bills bearing Trump’s signature and that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are scheduled to be printed in June. Other denominations will follow in the subsequent months, although their circulation is expected to take several weeks through the banking system.

Currently, the Department of the Treasury is still producing banknotes with the signatures of former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and former Treasurer Lynn Malerba. Malerba is recorded as the last treasurer whose signature adorns the US dollar since the tradition began in 1861.

The government describes this change as part of efforts to commemorate a national historical milestone while reflecting the economic situation. In his statement, Bessent assessed the step as relevant to the momentum of celebrating US independence.

“There is no more powerful way to remember our great nation’s historic achievements and President Donald J. Trump than with US dollar bills bearing his name,” he said, as quoted by Reuters on Friday (27/3/2026).

Furthermore, he added that the issuance of these banknotes is seen as aligned with the strong and stable US economic conditions during Trump’s second term.

Nevertheless, previous efforts to feature Trump on currency had encountered rules. US law prohibits depictions of living individuals on coins, although it grants broad authority to the Department of the Treasury to alter banknote designs, including to prevent counterfeiting.

Officials state that the overall design of the banknotes will not change, except for replacing the Treasurer’s signature with the president’s. As of now, no official examples of the new banknotes have been released to the public.

Several parties have expressed support for this policy. Former US Treasurer Jovita Carranza described the step as a “strong symbol of American resilience,” while current Treasurer Brandon Beach views Trump as the architect of the nation’s economic revival.