After beginning his second term as President of the United States, Trump has been committed to leaving his mark in various places, including in the U.S. currency. According to a report by Reuters on July 15th, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Bernstein announced on social media that the United States Mint will issue a one-dollar coin with Trump's head on the obverse, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Bessenert wrote: "On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of American independence, the Mint will begin minting this new $1 gold coin, to commemorate the eternal legacy of freedom and the enduring symbol of patriotism. The coin is themed on President Trump, aiming to highlight the power of American values and America's commitment to defending freedom for all."
According to the pictures he posted, the design of this $1 coin features a portrait of Trump along with the words “Freedom” and “We Believe in God” and “1776-2026”. On the reverse side, there is a bald eagle emblem associated with the US president’s badge, along with the words “United States of America”.
The US Treasury stated in a statement that the coin has begun to be minted in Philadelphia.
Besent posted a design sketch of a 1-dollar coin on social media
Regarding this, Trump responded in an interview with Fox News on the 15th, saying that he felt "honored." "Having my image printed on a coin is, as far as I understand, something extraordinary."
Critics question this measure. According to a law enacted in the United States in 1866, portraits of living individuals cannot be used on U.S. currency. However, Reuters noted that this law applies only to paper money printed by the United States Mint, while coins are minted by the United States Bureau of Printing and Coining.
In 2020, the U.S. Congress passed a law authorizing the Treasury Secretary to mint coins commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. However, the law prohibits the design of images of living people on the coins.
Regarding these issues, Besent argued that the American Numismatic Society issued a commemorative coin for the 150th anniversary of American independence in 1926, which featured the portrait of then-President Calvin Coolidge. “Therefore, we can print portraits of living people on coins.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has been trying to "make his presence known" on the U.S. currency. On March 26, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that Trump's signature would be added to all new versions of the dollar bill. This is the first time a U.S. President's signature has appeared on the dollar bill, replacing the signature of the Treasury Secretary, which had been used since the U.S. began issuing paper currency in 1861.
