British Painter Designs Proposed $250 Bill Featuring Trump
A proposed $250 bill bearing Trump’s image has moved from political idea to physical mockup, with British painter Iain Alexander at the center of the design. The report says the image was sent to the Treasury Department and reviewed by Trump, who approved additions including the colors of the U.S. flag and a logo marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
Alexander, who has exhibited in Palm Beach, Florida, said he also proposed Betsy Ross for the back of the note. He said Trump “absolutely loved” that idea. The artist did not explain how he came into contact with the administration, though he has posted photographs with Trump and promoted a 2025 exhibition at Appreciation Gallery in Palm Beach, not far from Mar-a-Lago.
The proposal sits in tension with a basic rule of U.S. currency: living figures are not permitted to appear on American bills. Still, the Trump administration has been pursuing the idea since last year. According to the report, US treasurer Brandon Beach and senior advisor Mike Brown pressed staff at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to develop prototypes, including one with Trump’s face designed by Alexander.
The effort is linked to legislation introduced by Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who proposed requiring the Treasury to print $250 notes featuring Trump. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services in December and has not advanced.
A Treasury Department spokesperson described the mockup as part of “appropriate planning and due diligence” tied to Wilson’s proposal. The statement added that, if the legislation becomes law, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing would move ahead with a commemorative note recognizing the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The bureau has reportedly resisted printing the bills, with at least one staff member abruptly reassigned. It is, however, already producing $100 bills featuring Trump’s signature — the first bills to bear a sitting president’s signature.
The episode underscores how currency design, usually a matter of institutional restraint, has become another site of political theater around Trump’s image and legacy.
