:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Health-Hazards-of-Using-the-Office-Microwave-FT-BLOG0325-ba9ca6f4cc6d48ac9dc655aebb661d5d.jpg "Office Microwaves Could Pose a Hidden Health Risk, According to a Recent Study")
A Republican lawmaker is introducing legislation to immortalize President Donald Trump on $100 bills.
Representative Brandon Gill, who represents Texas’ 26th Congressional District, said that he plans to introduce a bill to feature Trump’s likeness on the $100 note once his current term concludes.
“President Trump could be enjoying his golden years golfing and spending time with his family,” Gill told Fox News Digital. “Instead, he took a bullet for this country and is now working overtime to secure our border, fix our uneven trade relationship with the rest of the world, make America energy independent again, and put America first by ending useless foreign aid.”
Why It Matters
The last time a U.S. banknote design changed in this way was in 1929, when President Andrew Jackson replaced President Grover Cleveland on the $20 bill. The $100 bill has featured Benjamin Franklin, a Founding Father, since 1914 when he was placed on the first Federal Reserve note in the denomination.
The proposal to place Trump on the $100 bill reflects ongoing efforts to cement his legacy but it is unlikely to gain bipartisan support. Federal law currently prohibits the use of a living person’s likeness on U.S. currency.
Merchandise supporting President Donald Trump appears before the start of a campaign rally on June 22, 2024, at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Chris Szagola/AP
What To Know
Gill argued that replacing Franklin with Trump on the $100 bill “is a small way to honor all he will accomplish these next four years.”
His legislation follows a similar effort last week by Representative Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, who proposed placing Trump’s face on a new $250 note. That bill has the support of three other House conservatives.
Franklin was a Founding Father, inventor, scientist, diplomat and writer. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and secured French support during the American Revolution. Known for his kite experiment, he proved lightning was electricity and invented the lightning rod, bifocals and Franklin stove. He also founded the first public library and the University of Pennsylvania. Though he appears on the $100 bill, he was never a president.
U.S. presidents who have appeared on paper currency include George Washington on the $1 bill, Thomas Jefferson on the $2 bill, Abraham Lincoln on the $5 bill, Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill and Ulysses S. Grant on the $50 bill.
In 2016, President Barack Obama proposed placing Harriet Tubman, who was an escaped slave that helped free dozens of others using the Underground Railroad, on the $20 bill. Trump put that proposal on hold during his first administration.
What People Are Saying
Roderick K. Duet, on X, formerly Twitter: “Can you believe they want to waist [sic] time and money on putting Trump on the 100$ [sic] bill.”
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, on X: “All about the Dons: House GOP bill would put Trump’s face on $100 note. Give me a thumbs up if you are in support of this.”
What Happens Next
Gill wants the bill to take effect in 2029 after Trump leaves office. It is unlikely to receive bipartisan support in the House and would almost certainly need all of the 218 Republican members to back the move before sending it to the Senate.
