The Washington Post's May 28 reporting names two specific Treasury appointees who pushed the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to prepare a $250 bill bearing Trump's portrait. Their identities and prior roles help explain how the project advanced.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach
Brandon Beach is a former Georgia state senator. He served in the Georgia State Senate before being nominated by President Trump as U.S. Treasurer. In that role, his signature appears on U.S. currency alongside the Treasury Secretary's. Beach has previously been associated with claims questioning the 2020 election outcome.
According to the Washington Post, Beach met with bureau staff in August and September 2025 to present mockup designs for the $250 note, including one featuring Trump's face between the signatures of the president and Treasury Secretary Bessent.
Senior Adviser Mike Brown
Mike Brown joined the Treasury Department in October 2025 as a Trump appointee. He previously served as chairman of the Kansas Republican Party and was a senior adviser to Beach before formally joining Treasury. The Washington Post reported that following the reassignment of Bureau of Engraving and Printing director Patricia Solimene, Brown was positioned to oversee the bureau.
The Solimene reassignment
Patricia Solimene was the bureau's director. According to the Post's reporting, Solimene told Beach and Brown that producing a Trump $250 bill on the requested timeline was not a realistic plan, citing legal and procedural barriers. She was reassigned against her will following those conversations.
What sourcing the story relied on
The Post's reporting cites four current and former Treasury and bureau employees who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retribution. The Treasury Department's official response did not dispute the substance of the reporting; Secretary Bessent's pushback focused on framing and tone rather than the underlying facts of what Beach and Brown did.