The Donald Trump Administration is promoting the circulation of a new 250-dollar bill featuring the image of the current U.S. president, according to the newspaper The Washington Post. If so, it would be the first time since the 19th century that a living person appears on an official U.S. currency after it was prohibited in 1866.
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According to the investigation published by the American media, senior political officials from the Treasury Department had pressured the staff of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), the agency responsible for producing cash, on several occasions to advance the design of the new bill. Among the proponents of the proposal were the U.S. Treasurer, Brandon Beach, and his chief advisor, Mike Brown.
The United States prohibited in 1866 that a living person appear on official currency
The project would also include symbolic elements related to Trump’s term and the upcoming 250th anniversary of American Independence, which will be celebrated next July 4. British artist Iain Alexander stated that Trump himself had approved some preliminary designs with details such as now including the colors of the national flag and a commemorative anniversary logo.
The initiative has sparked strong controversy in Washington. U.S. legislation has prohibited since 1866 that living people appear on the country’s bills, a rule established after a scandal involving a mid-level Treasury Department official who used his own image on a five-cent bill.
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The proposal sparks controversy and divisions in Washington
According to The Washington Post, then BEP director Patricia Solimene showed resistance to the project citing legal and technical problems, as well as warning that the process could take years to complete. Solimene was removed from her position at the end of April, a decision that some employees directly link to the internal tensions caused by the proposal.
The debate adds to other recent decisions by the Trump administration aimed at strengthening its symbolic presence in institutions and public spaces in the country. While some allies consider the project a historic tribute, critics and opposition sectors describe it as a worrying sign of political personalism in the White House.
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