WASHINGTON—In a first for modern U.S. currency, the signature of President Donald Trump is expected to appear on all newly issued dollar bills, according to people familiar with the matter, marking the latest instance of the president’s name and likeness being affixed to government-backed projects.
The move would expand a longstanding Treasury convention in which currency bears the signatures of the Treasury secretary and the U.S. treasurer, adding the sitting president’s signature to the nation’s paper money for the first time.
Supporters of the change describe it as a symbolic gesture underscoring presidential authority over the executive branch and the nation’s economic policy. Critics, however, say it reflects a broader pattern of personal branding that blurs the line between public institutions and individual political identity.
The addition follows a series of efforts by the administration to prominently feature the president’s name across federal initiatives, ranging from infrastructure programs to relief measures, often in ways that depart from historical norms.
It remains unclear when the redesigned bills would enter circulation or whether the change would face legal or procedural challenges. Treasury officials have not publicly confirmed the plan.
If implemented, the shift would mark a notable departure from decades of tradition in U.S. currency design, where the imagery and inscriptions have largely remained insulated from overt personalization by sitting presidents.
