The "Donald J. Trump Golden Age Act of 2025" proposes putting Trump's portrait on all $100 bills printed after December 31, 2028. Let's examine why this is one of the most self-serving, anti-democratic proposals in modern American history.
Living Leader
On Currency = Red Flag
Legal Issues
Ongoing Investigations
Divisive
Not Unifying Figure
This Act is the culmination of a pattern of extreme narcissism. Let's look at the "selfless achievements" this supposedly justifies...
Trump's claim to have ended "eight wars in eight months" during his second term (2025) is a masterclass in inflating achievements. The number mysteriously grew from six to seven to eight wars as time went on. He's boasted about averaging "one war a month"—as if conflicts are items to check off a to-do list—and described them as "unendable wars" only he could resolve.
The Reality According to PolitiFact, AP, CNN, and FactCheck.org:
The Claimed "Victories":
Israel-Hamas, Israel-Iran, India-Pakistan, Armenia-Azerbaijan, Thailand-Cambodia, Rwanda-DRC, Serbia-Kosovo, Egypt-Ethiopia—a list that sounds impressive until fact-checkers examine each one and find the claims range from exaggerated to outright false.
Reality Check: Real peace requires addressing root causes—territorial disputes, ethnic tensions, resource conflicts, historical grievances. Threatening tariffs or claiming credit for temporary pauses isn't diplomacy; it's theater. Leaders who truly bring lasting peace don't need to constantly inflate their numbers or take credit for conflicts they barely influenced.
This claim is mathematically nonsensical. You cannot reduce prices by more than 100%—that would mean pharmaceutical companies paying people to take medication. This absurd statistic reveals either complete innumeracy or deliberate deception designed to impress people who won't do the math.
Reality Check: According to AARP and healthcare research organizations, prescription drug prices have actually increased in recent years. While some specific programs provided limited relief, claiming 900% reduction is fantasy math that insults anyone who actually pays medical bills.
The claim that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would end "on day one" of a Trump presidency has not materialized. This was a campaign promise that reveals the pattern: make grandiose, impossible claims about future achievements, then when reality doesn't match, either deny saying it or blame others for sabotage.
Reality Check: International conflicts don't end with magic phone calls. Real diplomacy requires coalition-building, negotiation, and respect for international law—not bombastic promises and personal relationships with autocrats. Anyone who promises instant solutions to complex geopolitical crises is either lying or dangerously naive.
Notice the pattern? Impossible, unverifiable, or wildly exaggerated claims about personal achievements. This is the narcissistic foundation for demanding your face on currency:
This isn't leadership. It's a textbook cult of personality.
Beyond the personal narcissism, this Act fundamentally undermines the values America was founded on
George Washington refused to become king and stepped down after two terms. He established that America honors principles, not people. Putting living leaders on currency is exactly the monarchical thinking our founders rejected.
Democracy requires no single person be above criticism or accountability. Currency featuring living politicians creates a psychological effect: "If they're on money, they must be beyond reproach." This undermines the healthy skepticism democracy requires.
Currency should unite citizens, not divide them. Trump is arguably the most divisive political figure in modern American history. Forcing half the country to carry his image on their money is political warfare disguised as honor.
Every person currently on U.S. currency was chosen decades or centuries after their death. This allows historical consensus to form. Putting Trump on currency now bypasses this crucial evaluation period. It's premature canonization.
Trump faces multiple criminal investigations and civil lawsuits. Regardless of outcomes, putting someone with this much ongoing legal controversy on currency sends a message that power trumps accountability. It's the opposite of justice.
When do countries put living leaders on currency? North Korea (Kim Jong-un), Venezuela (Chávez/Maduro), Turkmenistan (Niyazov). These are authoritarian regimes with personality cults. Is that the company America wants to keep?
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."
— James Madison, Federalist Papers No. 51
The founders understood that no person should be above scrutiny. This Act treats Trump like an angel who needs no controls—the exact opposite of what democracy requires. We must maintain the healthy skepticism that keeps democracies from sliding into authoritarianism.
Here's the legislative language that makes this nightmare official
Legislative Proposal
SECTION 1. Mandate:
No $100 note of the United States currency may be printed after December 31, 2028, which does not prominently feature a portrait of Donald J. Trump on the front face of the note.
Translation: All $100 bills printed after 2028 MUST have Trump's face on them. Not optional. Not a recommendation. A mandate.
What it replaces: Benjamin Franklin—scientist, diplomat, founding father who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
Cost to taxpayers: Estimated billions of dollars to redesign, retool minting facilities, replace existing notes, and update security features.
| Criteria | Washington/Lincoln | Trump (via this Act) |
|---|---|---|
| Deceased | ||
| Historical consensus on legacy | ||
| Universally respected | ||
| No pending legal issues | ||
| Self-proposed for honor |
The Act is absurd on its face—rooted in narcissism, destructive to democratic norms, and financially wasteful. But it's also dangerous because it normalizes authoritarian-style leader worship.