US Treasury unveils new $100 bill with Trump’s signature for America’s 250th anniversary
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed redesigned currency on Fox News, marking the first time a living president's signature will appear on US banknotes.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime and did something no Treasury official has done before: he showed off US currency bearing the signature of a sitting president.
The new $100 bill, part of a broader redesign celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, features Donald Trump’s signature alongside Bessent’s own. It’s a first in the history of US paper money, and it’s coming to wallets nationwide this fall.
What the redesign actually involves
The Treasury first announced the plan back on March 26, 2026, making it clear that Trump’s signature would appear across all denominations of US paper currency. This isn’t a full redesign of the kind that typically takes years of security testing and public debate. It’s a commemorative effort tied specifically to the Semiquincentennial, the nation’s 250th birthday.
Trump himself previewed the redesigned $100 bill on Truth Social on July 3, just ahead of Independence Day. Alongside the bill, he also showed off a commemorative $1 legal-tender coin bearing his likeness.
US currency has traditionally featured only deceased historical figures. The decision to put a living president’s signature on circulating bills doesn’t technically break that rule, since Trump’s portrait isn’t replacing Benjamin Franklin’s on the hundred.
The Treasury has indicated that the redesigned bills will begin circulating in fall 2026, with all denominations eventually receiving the anniversary treatment. Commemorative coins and medals tied to the 250th celebration were already in the planning stages before the currency announcement.
The crypto angle you didn’t ask for but probably expected
No cryptocurrencies or blockchain projects were mentioned during Bessent’s Fox News appearance. The Treasury’s focus was squarely on physical currency, patriotism, and the significance of the anniversary.
A meme-style token on the Solana blockchain called America250 has already emerged, apparently inspired by the 250th anniversary celebrations. As of mid-2026, it carried a market cap of roughly $744K.