Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar Wants To Put Trump’s Face On A $500 Bill | EUROtoday

Around the identical time that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) was publicly slamming the Republican Party for its cult-like devotion to former President Donald Trump, one far-right Arizona lawmaker was busy finalizing laws to honor the MAGA motion’s chief.

Rep. Paul Gosar’s new invoice, dubbed the Treasury Reserve Unveiling Memorable Portrait (TRUMP) Actwould require the United States Treasury to print $500 payments with Trump’s face on them. No joke.

Gosar rolled out the invoice simply days after Trump grew to become the primary U.S. president ever convicted of a criminal offense. A New York jury final week discovered him responsible of 34 felonies in a state-level prison case that centered on hush cash funds to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Gosar’s invoice to have fun the previous president within the type of authorized tender would break with a long time of custom — and flout a 150-year-old federal legislation that prohibits residing individuals being featured on U.S. cash.

On its web site, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco writes: “To avoid the appearance of a monarchy, it was long-standing tradition to only feature portraits of deceased individuals on currency and coin. That tradition became law with an 1866 Act of Congress.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution defined the 1866 legislation this fashion: “Our Founding Fathers believed it was unpatriotic for living people’s likenesses to be placed on money in circulation.” The publication famous that President George Washington declined having his portrait on the silver greenback whereas he was alive, though he’s now featured on each the $1 invoice and the quarter.

The 1866 legislation has been ignored at instances previously, most notably when then-President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a commemorative half greenback minted for the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of American independence.

But Gosar isn’t eyeing a commemorative coin. He’s seeking to put Trump’s face on what can be the most important invoice in print.

The U.S. authorities stopped printing bigger denomination payments, together with $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 notes, in 1945 and discontinued them altogether in 1969. The most not too long ago minted $500 payments characteristic a portrait of the twenty fifth U.S. president, William McKinley.

In a press launch asserting his laws, Gosar bemoaned so-called “Bidenflation” and argued $500 Trump payments would provide “several practical advantages.”

“First, larger-value currency will empower Americans with the freedom of more tangible options to save and exchange goods and services,” Gosar mentioned. “Additionally, the absence of large-denomination currency issued by the Treasury encourages Americans to rely on digital banking, which faces greater vulnerability to surveillance and censorship.”

Trump notes would possible be wanted by collectors, Gosar added.

“Collectors often covet currency with unique designs and historical significance and bills featuring the very popular 45th President will attract considerable attention from collectors,” he mentioned.

Gosar’s workplace didn’t reply to HuffPost’s request for remark, together with questions on whether or not Congress can put residing individuals on money.

His invoice is prone to go nowhere quick. Rather, it seems to be Gosar’s newest try to curry favor with a former president who he has fiercely defended at seemingly each flip.

While Trump has but to weigh in on the invoice, Gosar’s dwelling state newspaper had loads to say about it. In a piece on Thursday, Arizona Republic columnist EJ Montini wrote that the invoice “provides irrefutable proof that for some individuals — Gosar among them — Donald Trump is a cult.”