Investopedia/Deborah DSouza: Trump Admin Won't Commit to Putting Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill

Trump Admin Won't Commit to Putting Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill

By Deborah DSouza | Updated September 1, 2017 — 10:32 AM EDT
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Andrew Jackson, widely cited as one of the most racist presidents in U.S. history, was to be replaced on the $20 bill by escaped slave, abolitionist and union spy Harriet Tubman and moved to the back of the bill, but that has been put into question after recent comments from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

On Thursday, Mnuchin told CNBC the administration will consider putting Tubman on the bill, but it's not something he's focused on at the moment. "The No. 1 issue why we change the currency is to stop counterfeiting. So the issues of what we change will be primarily related to what we need to do for security purposes. I've received classified briefings on that. And that's what I'm focused on for the most part," he said.

The Obama administration had made the announcement about the 2020 redesign in April of last year, and the decision was hailed by many including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Fed Chief Janet Yellen. Trump, however, had dismissed it as "pure political correctness" and suggested Tubman be put on a $2 bill.

Former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew had said the $5 and $10 bill would also see updates with new images that “tell an exciting set of stories,” but it's unclear if that will still be taking place. Other women who were considered to replace Jackson were Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Wilma Mankiller. Earlier it was announced that Founding Father Alexander Hamilton would be replaced with a woman on the $10 bill, but after Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Hamilton” brought renewed appreciation for the rebellious, visionary man, the plan was dropped. Leaders of the women's suffrage movement were expected to appear on the back of the $10 bill, rather than replacing Hamilton on the front.
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