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South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson is drafting legislation calling for Donald Trump to appear on a new $250 bill to honor the president’s financial achievements.
The Republican lawmaker showcased what appears to be an AI-generated mock-up of the president’s portrait on the newly proposed bill, claiming that “Bidenflation” – where inflation peaked at 9.1 percent in 2022 during the previous administration – has forced Americans to carry more physical cash.
“Grateful to announce that I am drafting legislation to direct the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring Donald J. Trump,” Wilson tweeted on Wednesday evening.
“Bidenflation has destroyed the economy forcing American families to carry more cash. Most valuable bill for [the] most valuable President!”
The Treasury Department, which is responsible for selecting those featured on the notes, says that it considers “persons whose places in history the American people know well.”
However, federal law prohibits any living person’s face from appearing on U.S. currency
American paper currency comes in seven denominations, with the Federal Reserve Board currently issuing $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 notes. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing creates the bills.
Former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and Ulysses Grant; as well as founding fathers Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin feature on the bills respectively.
There is no $250 bill currently in circulation and bills in denominations above $100 – including $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 notes – were last printed in 1945 but were discontinued in 1969 due to lack of use, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Congressional Republicans have already floated multiple other ideas to honor Trump since his return to the White House.
New York Representative Claudia Tenny introduced a bill to make Trump’s birthday an official federal holiday.
She suggested merging annual Flag Day celebrations with the president’s birthday, which both occur on June 14.
Last month Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, who was selected to lead a new congressional task force to reveal a raft of national secrets, introduced new legislation to put Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore.
“His remarkable accomplishments for our country and the success he will continue to deliver deserve the highest recognition and honor on this iconic national monument,” the staunch Trump backer wrote on X. “Let’s get carving!”
Earlier this month, Georgia Representative Buddy Carter announced legislation hoping to officially change the name of Greenland to “Red, White, and Blueland” – as Trump escalated calls to purchase the Danish territory despite it not being up for sale.
While just three days into the second Trump administration, Tennessee Representative Andy Ogles proposed revising the Consitution’s 22nd Amendment to allow the president to run for a third term.
