Two political appointees at the Treasury Department spent months pressing Bureau of Engraving and Printing staff to develop prototypes for a $250 bill bearing Donald Trump’s portrait, even as bureau officials repeatedly warned them the project had no legal foundation and could take nearly a decade to execute properly, the Washington Post reports.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and senior adviser Mike Brown, both political appointees, began pushing bureau staff last year to prepare designs for the note. Beach handed over mock-up materials in August and September, including a design placing Trump’s face at the center of the bill, flanked by Trump’s and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signatures. The effort would mark the first time a living person appeared on U.S. currency since 1866, and current employees, speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, claim the internal pressure was real.
The artist behind the designs, British painter Iain Alexander, said he discussed the project directly with Trump and received feedback on specifics. “He likes to call me his favorite British artist,” Alexander said.
Trump reportedly pushed for American flag colors and a “250” logo tied to the nation’s semiquincentennial, and Alexander said Trump “absolutely loved” the proposed reverse side of the note, which would feature a women’s liberation theme with Betsy Ross.
Bureau director Patricia “Patty” Solimene, a 24-year Army veteran and the first woman to lead the bureau, told Beach and Brown plainly that the project was unauthorized. One employee described her position this way: “She had told them we’re not authorized to do this. We can’t progress any further, and all the stakeholders have not even met to discuss the next steps.” The same employee noted that “currency often takes six to eight years to produce a new bill, particularly one of such high value.”
Solimene was reassigned from her position on April 27. The following day, she sent a farewell email to staff that read, in part, “The buck stopped here,” and acknowledged the move was “not my choice.” Brown subsequently became the bureau’s acting director. Treasury declined to comment on the circumstances of Solimene’s reassignment, and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Legally, the proposed bill faces several obstacles. Federal law restricts living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency, a rule that has been on the books for over 150 years. Beyond the portrait question, the bureau is authorized to produce only specific denominations, and $250 is not among them. Former bureau director Larry R. Felix explained that “a $250 note is not statutorily authorized” without congressional action, adding, “The secretary has to be given authority to do that.” Alexander said he, too, had been told legislation was necessary.
And it is unlikely that Congress would approve it. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) previously introduced a bill in February 2025 directing the Treasury to issue $250 Federal Reserve notes featuring Trump’s image, tied to the 250th anniversary celebrations beginning in July. The bill stalled in the House Financial Services Committee and did not receive a hearing.
A department spokesperson said the bureau is “conducting appropriate planning and due diligence” and would proceed with a commemorative $250 note only if Congress passes the required legislation. Treasury also said Beach has “never asked staff to print the bill before congressional passage.” At the same time, the department confirmed Bessent would recognize Trump’s “historic achievements” by adding his signature to existing currency, noting no law prohibits a sitting president’s signature on bills. Solimene and her staff had separately agreed to print $100 bills featuring Trump’s signature, which employees said were already in production at the bureau’s Washington facility.
What’s next?
Support Alex Jones by picking up an all-new Alex Jones Live t-shirt, or an awesome Trench War Dagger at TheAlexJonesStore.com.
22 Responses
“And it is unlikely that Congress would approve it.”–GOOD! We don’t need a friggin $250 FRAUD note! Each F.R.A.U.D. is a “Federal” Reserve Accounting Unit Device–not backed by gold or silver coin as Article 1 section 8 says All LAWFUL ‘Money’ must be! A ‘dollar’ is a unit of measure, like pound/gallon/bushel etc.-so if you have ten ‘dollars’ today, they are ten ‘dollars’ of what?!? Absolutely nothing! The Banksters had their shill FDR steal our gold from us on 3/9/1933 with the ‘Emergency’ that the traitor FDR unlawfully declared that day, and after they killed Kennedy they took the silver coins. A 1964 quarter is now worth at least $8 in F.R.A.U.D. notes.
A negative -$250 dollar bill makes more sense since Americans have lost money because of Trump……
The picture of that clown holding a $250 bill is the same person that said…
=========
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: “I want to encourage everyone out there watching today to change their withholding. You will get an automatic real wage increase on a weekly or a monthly basis.”
“The artist behind the designs, British painter Iain Alexander…” Is that why he’s got the Boris Johnson look in that image?
Trump has completely gone mad, his biggest worries are putting his name and pictures on things, when he is definitely heading In the direction of being one of the most failed President’s in American History, just debt wise he will have created more debt than any President, the greatest military defeat in American history , he owns that one now, will have destroyed the world’s economy not once but twice. Mr Vaccine, all these Data centers are not here to help us, they are here to watch us.
So… what are the odds that the long string of “failures” you described are mistakes and bad decisions? Just bad choices? Really?
God bless Trump. All the browns seething in comments will never be as successful and loved as Trump. Eternal losers.
Has to say in god they trust. What god? Good time to youtube:Tom Horn – Zeitgeist 2025 – The Secret Destiny of America
Would this somehow add salve to the wound of not getting that ‘Peace Prize’ he so wanted. The first thing to go was the honorable penny, and now this. Pennies come from Heaven, monopoly money comes from Hell.
Nice to know our government is focused on the important things….
The Federal Reserve is selling us queer HOPIUM???!
I have contempt for this
It’s nice to know ‘our’ gov has its priorities in order
The Trump Administration Is Spending $5 Million to Coat Horse Statues in Gold
====
.notus.org/trump-white-house/national-park-service-dc-beautification-contracts-horse-statues
Great idea, this will come in handy in the very near future when buying aa loaf of bread
or new designer toilet paper for billionaires
I’m surprised they aren’t proposing to put Netenyahu’s face on our currency. According to them, we owe them the world.
Nothing says Weimar economy quite like having to print larger denominations, especially with the Mad King’s picture on it.
This is far worse than putting Harriet Tubman on a $20 bill, which was a bad enough idea.
If this ever goes through, it will further devalue and debase the currency, replacing the $100 bill with this crap.
It’s an improvement in the sense that you can buy five gallons of gasoline with a $250 bill versus only two gallons with the $100 bill.
Acute.
More evidence that our president is not a narcissist. Whew! I was beginning to worry there for a moment…
Nice picture of Trump but it’s not correct; he’s not wearing a Kippa