The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday that President Donald Trump will sign U.S. paper money beginning this summer.
This will be the first time a sitting president has signed American currency, making Malerba, the former treasurer, the final member of an uninterrupted line of treasurers whose signatures have appeared on U.S. federal currency since the U.S. government first issued it in 1861.
In June, the first $100 bills with the signatures of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and President Trump will be printed; further bills will follow in the following months.
Redesigned to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American freedom, Bessent said the change was fitting for the U.S. celebration because of the country’s robust economic development and stable finances during Trump’s second term.
“There is no more powerful way to recognise the historic achievements of our great country and President Donald J. Trump than U.S. dollar bills bearing his name, and it is only appropriate that this historic currency be issued at the Semiquincentennial,” Bessent stated.
Treasury officials stated that aside from Trump’s signature taking the place of the Treasurer’s, the general layouts of bills will remain unchanged. Malerba did not comment on the action taken by the Trump administration.
Trump’s first-term treasurer, Jovita Carranza, described the shift as “a powerful symbol of American resilience, the enduring strength of free enterprise and the promise of continued greatness.”
In a complimentary remark, the current treasurer, Brandon Beach claimed that Trump was the mastermind behind a “golden age economic revival.”
The Trump administration and its allies’ most recent attempt to have the president’s name appear on structures, organizations, government initiatives, warships, and coinage is the signature change.
Last week, the design for a commemorative gold coin featuring Trump’s portrait was accepted by a government arts commission whose members were appointed by Trump.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah