Episode summary
Inside Trump's Months-Long Effort to Get His Signature on US Currency | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 12 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Jason Leopold
Summary
Newly released documents show the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and Treasury moving quickly last year to put Donald Trump’s signature on U.S. currency, a step Bloomberg News senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold said would be unprecedented for a sitting president. The plan initially centered on adding Trump’s name to a $10 bill, with Treasury later announcing that his signature would appear on $1 bills later this year.
Leopold said the emails reveal tension inside the agency, especially from then-director Patricia Sollamine, who appeared wary of the project and later was abruptly reassigned in May. He said some of the withheld material appears to include mock-ups and internal deliberations, and that he is still waiting on more pages that must be reviewed by other Treasury offices and the Federal Reserve Board.
The documents also show the security fallout after the announcement, including references to public backlash, possible threats, and coordination with the Secret Service, the FBI, and local police in Fort Worth. Leopold argued that the episode underscores how unusual it is to politicize currency, and said he expects more FOIA releases on the ballroom project and the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
Key takeaways
- Jason Leopold said Treasury’s plan to put Trump’s signature on currency would be the first time a sitting president’s signature appears on U.S. money.
- The documents suggest BEP director Patricia Sollamine pushed back on the project and was later reassigned in May.
- Leopold said Treasury redacted mock-ups and internal discussions, leaving more of the decision-making process hidden.
- Security officials treated the currency announcement as a real risk, with BEP alerting police and involving the Secret Service and FBI.
- Leopold said he is also pursuing FOIA material on the Mar-a-Lago documents case and the ballroom project.
Notable quotes
“this is the the extension from the banners to, you know, Trump's image on passports”
“the first time that that a sitting president's signature would appear on US currency. So that's unprecedented”
“They were looking first to add Trump's name to a $10 bill and the director of Bureau of Engraving and and Printing she seemed to have some hesitancy”
“Obviously, there is a sector of the population who are not happy with this decision”
“I feel like there's more, you know, to be revealed behind the scenes”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec on Bloomberg Radio. — Time for our weekly check-in with Jason Leopold who does so much digging and we get to uh reap the fruits of his efforts.
I love it. I love it. Hey, um and this leads us to some newly released documents uh that offer a glimpse into the months-long effort to put a sitting president's signature on US currency for the first time and the resulting tension inside the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Um yeah, let's get to it cuz he got his hands on those documents. Jason Leopold back with us, Bloomberg News senior investigative reporter. He's the author of the FOIA files newsletter.
It comes out each Friday, a new one. You can read it and subscribe on the Bloomberg terminal or by heading to bloomberg.com/newsletters. Jason also hosts the podcast Disclosure.
He is also executive producer of the new documentary The Real Wolf of Wall Street. It premiered in July exclusively on Paramount Plus and you can check out all those episodes. Hey, hey, hey, you just have like this long list.
By the way, thank you for that. — You're welcome. — Check will be in the mail this weekend. — Now I can go on my vacation. I'll have the check in the mail. Hey, listen, um talk to us about this. It is pretty significant that Donald Trump um we're going to see his signature on a US currency. As Emily reminded us, who even uses US currency anymore? But you did some You did some digging. Tell us what you looked into and what you got.
Yeah, and this is part of the this is the the extension from the banners to, you know, Trump's image on passports.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- trump signature
- us currency
- foia files
- bureau of engraving and printing
- investigative reporting
Companies and tickers mentioned
- Bloomberg News
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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