Fox’s Peter Doocy Presses Scott Bessent on Whether Trump Will Appear on $250 Bill
Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the Trump administration’s plans for a new $250 bill with President Donald Trump’s face on it, something that the law currently does not allow.
Bessent took the question as he held the White House press briefing in place of press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who remains on maternity leave.
Doocy, addressing the treasury chief as “Dr. Bessent” (after Bessent informed reporters that he recently received an honorary degree from the University of South Carolina), took the opportunity to ask about the banknote being pushed by the administration and Trump himself, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
“Dr. Bessent, how long until we see your signature next to President Trump’s face on a $250 bill?” Doocy asked.
Bessent responded:
Well, again, as treasury secretary, I have two mandates for U.S. Currency. At present, no living person can be on U.S. currency, and the currency must say, “In God we trust.” So right now, there’s proposed legislation in front of the house, in front of the senate, to change the first requirement so that a living person, Donald J. Trump, could be on the $250 bill. So it’s all in the hands of, it’s all up on Capitol Hill. So, at treasury, we prepare things in advance. So we have prepared in advance that if the legislation is passed, but we will stick to the law.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his senior adviser, Mike Brown, have reportedly been behind the effort to get Trump’s face on the $250 bill, which has reportedly already spawned mockup designs.
Beach and Brown have been pushing Bureau of Engraving and Printing workers to make prototypes of the Trump bill, which has raised concerns because it’s technically against the law, WaPo reported.
Living people appearing on U.S. currency has been banned in the U.S. since 1866, after Treasury Department official Spencer Clark decided to put himself on currency meant to honor William Clark, half of the famed Lewis & Clark exploration team.
Watch above via Fox News.
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