Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds up an image of the proposed 250 dollar bill, while speaking to reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump wants to release a $250 bill with — no surprise — his own picture on it. Producing money to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary is actually a fine idea. We did it for the 150th anniversary, though it was a commemorative coin, not currency.
But if the country takes that step, the bill should honor a revolutionary hero — or better yet, a revolutionary heroine.
Several Trump allies are shamelessly pushing the release of a $250 bill with his picture and signature. But federal law prohibits printing money with a living person on the bill. Congress would have to pass new legislation to make such a thing happen. And even though some of Trump’s congressional allies have introduced enabling legislation, there is virtually zero chance the proposal would clear a Senate filibuster.
For background, there is a difference between U.S. coins and currency. The U.S. Mint is the sole manufacturer of circulating coins. And the mint produces lots of commemorative coins, including one in 1926 honoring the country’s 150th anniversary, with the profiles of President George Washington and the then-President Calvin Cooledge.
On the other hand, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces the nation’s paper currency. It almost never releases commemorative banknotes, which is what these so-called “Trump bucks” would be. The one exception appears to be the face of Martha Washington on the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896. She is the only woman to have appeared on U.S. paper currency, according to the bureau.
Today, there are only six government-produced bills: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and $100. But there have been much larger bills that are no longer printed: a $500 note with President William McKinley’s picture; a $1,000 note with President Grover Cleveland; a $5,000 note with President James Madison; a $10,000 note with Salmon Chase, Lincoln’s treasury secretary; and a $100,000 note with President Woodrow Wilson’s picture.
That said, if Congress wants to move forward with a $250 bill to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, why not put a heroine of the Revolution on it?
Several ladies would qualify. There’s Abigail Adams, the wife of our first vice president and second president, John Adams, as well as the mother of our sixth president, John Quincy Adams. Abigail constantly corresponded with her husband, counseling him on numerous political matters, including the need for the country to abolish slavery. Just think how much grief the country would have avoided if it had taken her advice at the time.
If we want a more publicly outspoken woman, there is Mercy Otis Warren, sometimes referred to as the “Conscience of the Revolution.” She wrote and published poetry, plays and pamphlets denouncing the British. And after the war, she wrote a three-volume history of the Revolution: “History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution.” She also opposed slavery, but became an anti-federalist, opposing the adoption of the Constitution.
If we wanted a woman actually involved in fighting, there’s “Molly Pitcher.” Thousands of women participated in the Revolutionary War — making clothes, providing food, some followed the camps and doing some of the necessary but mundane chores, and providing nursing services. And a small number actually participated in battle. Mary Ludwig followed her husband, William Hays, when he joined the Continental Army, eventually receiving the nickname Molly Pitcher (perhaps for carrying buckets of water to the camps).
The story goes that at the Battle of Monmouth (1778), Molly saw her husband wounded while manning the artillery. She reportedly stepped in and took his place, almost being killed herself. Gen. Washington wanted to know who the woman was who fought in the battle and promoted her to a non-commissioned officer. She was honored with a postage stamp in 1928 and again in 1978.
Finally, if the $250 bill is meant to be a symbol, we could pick the woman who provided America with its first national symbol: Betsy Ross. According to a story told by her grandson many years later, she stitched together the first American flag, largely based on a drawing shown her by George Washington. We do know that Ross continued making flags for the rest of her life and was also honored with a postage stamp in 1952.
Of course, there are many other women who played important revolutionary roles and could be chosen for the bill.
So, yes, creating a limited, commemorative coin or banknote celebrating the nation’s 250th anniversary would be a good idea. But it should unite people by celebrating the past and what Americans love about the country. A commemorative bill with the current president’s picture would likely have just the opposite effect.
Read the original article on TheHill.com
If the Treasury creates a $250 bill, drug cartels will benefit since their cost of repatriating profits will have gone down 60% compared to smuggling home $100 bills.