Hillary Clinton isn’t holding back her thoughts on President Trump’s reported attempt to slap his own face on American currency — and she’s using inflation as the punchline.
The former secretary of state took to social media platform X on Thursday, May 28, 2026, to ridicule a Treasury Department plan to print a $250 bill featuring the 79-year-old president’s likeness. Her mockery came hours after a bombshell report revealed that Treasury officials have been quietly pushing prototype designs for the unprecedented note, despite fierce internal resistance and longstanding federal law that forbids living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency.
“By the end of Trump’s term, it’ll be just enough to buy one gallon of gas and a carton of eggs,” Clinton wrote on X, in a clear jab at the rising cost of living under the current administration.
Her remark landed on the same day the Commerce Department announced that U.S. inflation increased at its fastest clip in three years in April, largely driven by surging energy prices tied to the ongoing Iran war.
Democrats Pile On the Mockery
Clinton wasn’t alone in lampooning the proposal. California Rep. John Garamendi posted on X that Americans would soon be using Trump notes to pay for a single gallon of gas. Fellow California Democrat Rep. Doris Matsui took a more pointed tone, branding the project “a disgraceful waste of taxpayer dollars and these acts are exactly the kind of out-of-touch vanity politics I will always fight against.”
The criticism comes as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed at a Thursday press conference inside the White House that preliminary planning is indeed underway — though he insisted any movement on the bill is contingent on Congress changing federal law. Multiple statutes prohibit living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency, a standard that has held for more than a century. If the bill ever made it into circulation, it would be the first time a living person appeared on American money in over 100 years.
Inside the Treasury Pressure Campaign
Behind the scenes, the push has been anything but subtle. U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach and his adviser Mike Brown have repeatedly pressed employees at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to mock up designs featuring Trump’s face. In August and September of last year, Beach personally delivered prototype designs to bureau staff — including one featuring Trump’s portrait in the center, framed by the signatures of the president and Bessent.
The artist behind the design is Iain Alexander, a British painter, former competitive swimmer and DJ who previously created portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and other notable figures. Alexander said he has discussed the prototype directly with Trump, who personally endorsed additions such as the colors of the American flag and a logo commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding. Alexander described himself as the president’s favored British artist.
Internal Resistance and a Reassigned Director
The proposal has drawn sharp resistance inside the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where employees have flagged both legal and procedural roadblocks. Producing a new bill typically takes six to eight years, particularly one of such high value. One bureau employee noted that no stakeholders had even met to discuss next steps.
Among the most vocal internal critics was Patricia “Patty” Solimene, the bureau’s director, who repeatedly explained to Beach, Brown and their staff that producing the bill would run headlong into federal law. Beach and Brown reportedly were dismissive of her warnings. In April, Solimene was abruptly reassigned from her post by Treasury management. In an email to staffers, she wrote that the reassignment was not her choice and that she had never sacrificed the values or character of herself or the organization.
The legislative path forward is being paved by Rep. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Republican, who in February 2025 introduced legislation directing Bessent to print “$250 Federal Reserve notes featuring a portrait of Donald Trump.”
Bessent Strikes a Careful Balance
At his Thursday briefing, Bessent insisted his hands remained tied by current statute. He told reporters he has two mandates for U.S. currency at present: no living person can appear on U.S. currency, and the currency must say “In God we trust.” He acknowledged the proposed legislation could change that but pledged Treasury would stick to the law.
The Treasury secretary dismissed the underlying report as “terribly written” and “terribly edited,” but he declined to directly answer questions about whether minting a Trump-emblazoned note was appropriate at a moment when Americans are wrestling with surging prices on everyday goods.
In an official statement, the Treasury Department said the bureau “is conducting appropriate planning and due diligence,” adding that “should this legislative mandate be signed into law, the BEP is moving proactively to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation.”
For Clinton, though, the entire spectacle appears to be a gift-wrapped opportunity to skewer her decade-old rival — and to remind voters that, no matter whose face ends up on it, $250 doesn’t stretch as far as it used to.