President Donald Trump posted an image on Friday of a redesigned US $100 bill that includes his signature above that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, following a Treasury announcement in March that a sitting president’s signature would appear on American paper currency for the first time. The move is tied to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, and the Treasury has described it as a commemoration of that milestone.

Viewed from Washington, the administration frames the signature as a recognition of Trump’s role in what US Treasurer Brandon Beach called an “economic renaissance” and a deserved honour. Congressional allies have introduced legislation to go further: a bill to create a $250 commemorative note bearing Trump’s portrait. That proposal would require amending the US Code, which currently limits currency portraits to deceased individuals, by creating an exception for current or former presidents. According to Indonesian media reports, critics—including public policy analysts at the Brookings Institution—argue that placing a living president’s image or signature on currency risks eroding the perceived independence of US financial institutions and conflating national symbols with personal promotion.

The signature on the $100 bill appears to fall within the Treasury’s administrative authority, and prototypes are reportedly in preparation. The portrait proposal, by contrast, would need support from Democratic senators to pass, making its adoption unlikely. The currency initiative is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to imprint the president’s name and image on federal assets, including commemorative passports, national park passes, banners outside Washington agencies, and the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport in Florida.

The Treasury Department has not confirmed whether printing of the signed $100 notes has begun. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has prepared prototypes for the $250 bill, but the legislative proposal remains stalled in Congress. The signature plan is expected to proceed administratively, while the portrait bill faces an uncertain path with no vote scheduled.