Republican Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas has proposed legislation, the Golden Age Act of 2025, to replace the face of Benjamin Franklin on $100 bills with Donald Trump’s. This move reflects Trump’s influence within the GOP, as several other members have pursued similar initiatives, including efforts to declare Trump’s birthday a federal holiday and nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Critics suggest these proposals resemble a cult of personality, with Republican legislators eager to curry favor with Trump. While many of these legislative efforts are unlikely to pass, they illustrate the ongoing competition among GOP members to align closely with the former president.
While most Americans probably don’t carry $100 bills, they do exist, adorned with Benjamin Franklin’s face. As The Hill reported, Republican Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas, one of Congress’ newest and youngest members, has proposed legislation to redesign the C note.
First-term GOP Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas) has introduced a measure that would mandate all $100 bills to feature President [Donald] Trump’s face. The legislation, dubbed the Golden Age Act of 2025, reflects a prevalent sentiment among the president and his allies that his second term will herald the “Golden Age of America.” The congressman stated in a written statement that changing the currency in Trump’s honor would be “a small way to acknowledge all he will accomplish these next four years.”
In other words, Gill seems less inclined to celebrate Trump’s actual achievements and more focused on putting the president’s face on $100 bills to honor potential successes yet to come. This legislation — which, by the way, is entirely real and not a fabrication to mock members of Congress — has already garnered two co-sponsors: Republican Reps. Troy Nehls of Texas and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
To add to this spectacle, on the same afternoon, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California announced that he’s nominating Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. The GOP congressman didn’t elaborate on his reasoning, but it is likely that the president, who has long pursued the honor, will be pleased.
Issa is also a co-sponsor of legislation introduced last week that aims to create a $250 bill featuring Trump’s face. (Current federal law prohibits any living person from being depicted on U.S. currency, yet this bill would allow a one-time exception to that prohibition.)
As we discussed last week, there’s a tendency to overlook such absurd congressional initiatives, which will almost certainly be disregarded. However, there’s a broader trend that deserves attention.
For instance, a few weeks ago, Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York introduced legislation to declare Trump’s birthday a federal holiday. In apparent seriousness, the GOP congresswoman asserted that this step would “recognize him as the founder of America’s Golden Age.”
That bill followed one proposing to carve Trump’s face into Mount Rushmore, as well as another measure allowing Trump to seek a third term. There are also ongoing proposals to rename Washington Dulles International Airport in honor of Trump, alongside legislation aimed at “expunging” Trump’s first two impeachments.
As The New York Times recently summarized, “A competition of sorts has emerged for whom the Republican base will view as the most pro-Trump member.” From the article:
The influx of sycophantic legislation, some of which even lawmakers admit is unlikely to pass, stands apart from merely executing Mr. Trump’s agenda. … “It demonstrates the hold that Donald Trump has within the Republican Party today, and that Republican members are eager to stay in his favor,” stated Sean M. Theriault, a government professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “Many of these individuals represent very safe districts, but they are also contemplating their next career moves. So, if they aspire to be in the Senate, run for governor, or even secure a position in the administration, there’s no better way to gain his approval than through these extravagant gestures.”
This was published prior to the proposals regarding the $250 bill, the $100 bill redesign, the suggested federal holiday for Trump’s birthday, and the Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
I am reminded again of Filipe Campante’s response to the Ogles bill, who stated, “The reason why this is troubling is that it’s blatantly absurd: It reveals how this is evolving into a Kim Jong-Un-style cult of personality, with sycophants trying to outdo each other in their servility to capture the attention of Dear Leader.”
Unfortunately, this competition appears to be escalating.
This post updates our earlier related coverage.