General Discussion

UPDATE (May 28, 2026, 3:11 p.m. ET): Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added fresh confirmation of the story during a White House press briefing on Thursday, telling reporters he believes there’s nothing “untoward” about putting the incumbent president’s face on a new $250 bill.

Over the course of Donald Trump’s second term, many of the president’s most sycophantic congressional allies have unveiled proposals intended to glorify him in outlandish ways. Some, for example, have tried to make Trump’s birthday a federal holiday, while others want to carve Trump’s face into Mount Rushmore. Some have unveiled legislation to rename Dulles International Airport after Trump, and others have backed a bill to name Washington’s subway system after the president and his MAGA slogan.

But several GOP lawmakers have taken a particular interest in American currency. In fact, roughly a month after Inauguration Day, Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina unveiled the Donald J. Trump $250 Bill Act, which according to the congressman’s press release, would direct “the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to design and print a $250 dollar bill of legal U.S. tender that bears the image” of the Republican president......

The underlying idea, however, was not ignored by officials on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. The Washington Post reported:

Trump administration officials have pressed the office responsible for printing the nation’s money to design a $250 bill featuring the president’s portrait, according to four current and former employees, in what would be the first appearance of a living person on U.S. currency in more than 150 years.

Starting last year, two political appointees at the Treasury Department — U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser, Mike Brown — repeatedly urged staff at the agency’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare prototypes of the note, according to the employees, who said the move raised concerns because federal law currently allows only deceased people to appear on bills.

When the director of the printing bureau told the political appointees this wasn’t a realistic plan, she was abruptly reassigned.....

I won’t pretend to know what’s likely to happen with this plainly ridiculous effort, but this seems like a good time to update the broader list documenting the scope of the increasingly weird Trump glorification campaign.

U.S. currency: In case the $250 bill gambit weren’t quite jarring enough, Trump recently announced plans to add his signature to U.S. dollars — a first for a sitting American president — which is not to be confused with plans for a massive, 3-inch commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s face.

Renaming buildings: The president’s allies have already added Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center and the Institute of Peace. By some accounts, the president expects the proposed White House ballroom to bear his name too.

U.S. military: Plans to construct “Trump-class” battleships are underway, and the nation’s next-generation fighter jet is set to have an “F-47” designation in honor of him. (Trump is the nation’s 47th president.)

Passports: A few weeks ago, the State Department announced “specially designed U.S. passports” that would include Trump’s image, as well as the president’s signature in gold.....

Banners: Giant fascistic banners featuring Trump’s face are currently covering the front of several government buildings, including the headquarters of the Labor, Agriculture and Justice departments. They were followed by the administration unveiling different banners around the nation’s capital that show the president in a hard hat alongside text that reads, “Thank you, President Trump.”...

Domestic ambitions: Trump wants a new football stadium in Washington to be named after him, as well as New York City’s Penn Station.

International ambitions: Trump recently indicated that he wants and expects a statue to honor him in Venezuela. He also said in January that it was “not too late” to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico (which he attempted to rename once already) to the “Gulf of Trump,” and he recently suggested the Strait of Hormuz should also be called the “Strait of Trump.”