CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Confronts Scott Jennings Over Trump $250 Bill Amid Disastrous Polls

CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins confronted CNN GOP analyst Scott Jennings over a plan to put President Donald Trump on a $250 bill, even as Americans trash Trump over the economy.

At a White House briefing Thursday afternoon, Collins challenged Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over that plan, getting confirmation it was floated by Treasury officials and asking, “Do you think politically it’s a good idea to put his face on a $250 bill when people are struggling to afford gas and groceries?”

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Collins hosted Jennings and CNN Democratic analyst Xochitl Hinojosa to discuss the issue.

Collins confronted Jennings over the reception a Trump $250 would get amid disastrous polls showing a whopping 77% of Americans blame Trump policies for rising costs:

COLLINS: Tonight, the Trump administration is preparing to potentially put President Trump’s face on a commemorative $250 bill to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.

According to The Washington Post tonight, which obtained this mock-up of what that bill could look like. There are two political appointees within the Trump Treasury Department that have been pushing the office that is in charge of printing money to start making prototypes.

If you’re thinking, Wait a minute, it’s illegal to do that? Yes, there is an 1866 law that prohibits any living person from appearing on U.S. currency. But of course we’re in Washington, and Congress could vote to change that.

I questioned the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, about this, earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You said that it’s up to Congress, the President’s face is on a $250 bill. But it is actually the Washington Post that’s reporting two political appointees from the Treasury Department who have asked agencies to be ready to do that.

Do you think politically it’s a good idea to put his face on a $250 bill when people are struggling to afford gas and groceries?

BESSENT: Again, you know, I don’t really understand this Washington Post article that — who here is from The Post?

Yes. Terribly written, terribly edited. Because basically what it says is that Treasury is following the law and that we’ve created the bill, and that it’s up to Congress. But that we follow the bill and it’s up to — I didn’t really understand what the story was.

COLLINS: So–

BESSENT: But anyway–

COLLINS: –appointees aren’t involved in that, two of your political appointees?

BESSENT: Yes, of course, but we prepare for everything if it gets passed. Just like we were ready six months in advance for the One Big Beautiful Bill for tax guidance. So we have to prepare in advance. You can’t draw something up the day before.

COLLINS: Politically, do you think it’s a good idea, though, when people are struggling to afford gas and groceries?

BESSENT: Look, I think it has — I think that it’s bifurcated that — do you think we should have a 250th anniversary, the celebration?

COLLINS: Well, that’s happening anyway.

BESSENT: But no, no, no, no, no it–

COLLINS: But putting the President’s face on a $250 bill is a choice.

BESSENT: No, no, no, no, but Kaitlan, it’s not happening anyway. It’s happening because it’s being funded by private citizens, by the federal government, by state governments, by municipal governments, to celebrate our country.

And I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the President of the United States, that the person who is President of the United States, on the 250th anniversary bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: My political sources tonight are:

Xochitl Hinojosa, the former DOJ Director of Public Affairs, who I should note her sister is running as a Democrat for governor of Texas.

And also, Scott Jennings, who does not have any siblings running as Democrats for governor of Texas, but is the former special assistant to President George W. Bush.

Scott, I’ll ask you, what I asked the other Scott who was in the Briefing Room today. Do you think politically it’s a good idea to put the President’s face on a $250 bill right now?

SCOTT JENNINGS: I mean, I think they ought to follow the law, which Scott Bessent clearly laid out. You can’t put a living person on money right now. Now, the Congress could vote to change that, and it is right for the Treasury Department to be ready to follow the laws that Congress passes.

And I kind of agree with Scott Bessent. We’re having a 250th anniversary. The government’s going to do all kinds of things. They’ve already minted some coins, I think, to commemorate the 250th anniversary. So, putting Donald Trump’s face on it wouldn’t offend me. I’m sure it would offend people who don’t like Donald Trump. I don’t think it’s the most pressing issue facing the country right now.

But would it surprise me if we did some commemorative items around America 250? No, wouldn’t surprise me at all. COLLINS: Would you criticize President Biden if he had been in office and was putting his face on money?

JENNINGS: Look, we put the image of the President of the United States on all kinds of things in this country. I don’t — it doesn’t really bother me. They’ll name things after Donald Trump. They’ll wind up naming things after Joe Biden. They’ve named things after Barack Obama. I don’t — it doesn’t — it doesn’t offend me one way or the other, and I really think this is a bit of a tempest in a teapot.

But I can see why people who don’t like Donald Trump like it because, you know, they don’t like for his face or his name or for him to be on anything, and so it’s another thing for them to complain about.

I also think Democrats generally don’t want us to be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country, and so they’re like offended that we’re celebrating America right now, and it’s another thing for them to be offended about.

COLLINS: Xochitl, you’re the Democrat here.

XOCHITL HINOJOSA: No one is a — Democrats want to celebrate the 250th anniversary, Scott, and you know that.

I think one interesting thing about all of this is that this isn’t the first time. We’ve seen Donald Trump obsessing over putting his name on the Kennedy Center. He wants to ensure that, while his approval rating is at 30 percent, the reality is, is that he himself is obsessed with his own image.

And so, I think, Kaitlan, your questions were spot on, in the sense that the American people are struggling every single day. They — $250 is what it costs, in some areas, in order to pump gas. A lot of Americans can’t necessarily afford it. And the fact that they’re now going to have potentially, unless Congress changes the law, a commemorative sort of $250 bill of Donald Trump is just going to remind them every day about how expensive life has been under Donald Trump.

COLLINS: I want both of you to listen to what the Democratic leader over in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, had to say about this today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): It’s Monopoly money. It’s fantasy. And we are going to do everything possible to make sure that this never happens. I mean, this is the most ridiculous thing in the world. How sycophantic are Republicans when this is what they’re focused on, as opposed to actually doing the type of things to address the damage that they’ve done to the American people?

They said they were going to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down. They’ve gone up. And yet they’re focused on a 250 make- believe bill for Donald Trump?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: I guess, Scott, to that — to the point that he’s making there. When poll numbers show that 77 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, don’t think the President’s economic policies have done a good job, that they’ve actually increased their cost of living. How do you think they’ll see a moment like this, from Republicans on Capitol Hill?

JENNINGS: Look, I think — I think we often connect things that aren’t connected. They’re talking about the concept of making a commemorative item for America’s 250th birthday. Whose face is on the money does not change the value of the money, it doesn’t change anything about the economy, it doesn’t change anything about the cost of groceries or gas or anything else. It’s a picture on a piece of paper.

And Democrats are engaged in their biggest skill, their biggest talent right now, which is to be outraged about everything.

I have no idea if the Congress is going to pass this. And if they don’t, I won’t care. And if they do, I won’t care either. But it won’t surprise me that the government took steps to do something to commemorate the 250th anniversary of our country.

But to say we’re going to put a face on a piece of paper, and that somehow has an impact on the value of that paper as it relates to the overall economy? I mean, that — I know Democrats are economically illiterate. I didn’t know they were that economically illiterate.

HINOJOSA: I mean, the reality is, is that it is sending a signal to the American people that they care more about Donald Trump and his ego than they actually care about providing anything and making their lives easier for them. And I think that is the main point that Democrats are trying to make.

I agree with you, Scott. I think we need to commemorate the 250th anniversary. At the same time, it should not be all about Donald Trump. This is not just about Donald Trump. There is more than — to the 250th anniversary.

And so, I think that at a time when Americans are struggling, you’ll continue to see Democrats trying to talk about those struggles, while you have Donald Trump and Republicans rising costs, and thinking about things like putting Donald Trump’s face wherever they can.

COLLINS: Scott.

JENNINGS: Yes, look–

COLLINS: I mean, Hillary Clinton, as she was pointing it out today was saying, you know, when responding to the article, was saying, That’s how much it’s going to cost to fill up your gas and get groceries by the end of the President’s term.

Obviously, that’s Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump’s former political opponent, saying that. But her point was to the cost of living, that is the very real reality for so many Americans right now.

JENNINGS: Look, I don’t have anything to say about the $250 bill beyond what I’ve already said politically.

I will just say, though, deep down somewhere inside of me, my uber conservative is screaming, Let’s not print any more money at all because every time we print more money, it makes the value — it makes the value of it go down. Lord knows the Democrats spent and printed a bunch of it during the Biden years, and that’s what caused the inflation crisis in the first place.

So, maybe we could all agree, let’s just print a little less, print a little less money, and make it worth a little bit more. How about that?

HINOJOSA: You should call the White House. They’ll listen to you, Scott. Tell them not to print this 2 — not to go forward with this $250 bill.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

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