US Treasury Explores New Trump Coin, US Treasurer Says--Despite Legal Hurdles

[LetMyPeopleVote]

trump evidently wants a real coin which would be currency

“US Treasury Explores New Trump Coin, US Treasurer Says—Despite Legal Hurdles”

Kirk Ogunrinde for @forbes.com

— Zach Everson (@zacheverson.com) 2025-10-03T20:53:20.687Z

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kirkogunrinde/2025/10/03/us-treasury-explores-new-trump-coin-us-treasurer-says-despite-legal-hurdles

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach shared drafts for a new $1 coin with imagery of President Donald Trump to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, despite it being illegal to put a living person on U.S. currency.

Key Facts

Beach shared images on X showing drafts for a potential $1 coin with images of President Donald Trump on both sides.

Beach, who supervises the U.S. Mint, said the coin was to “honor America’s 250th birthday,” referring to the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The message showed the front and back of a coin with a profile of Trump’s head on both sides and the words “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT,” a reference to the words Trump yelled to the crowd after a 2024 assassination attempt, also on one of the sides.

Beach said more details about the coin would be announced after the government shutdown concludes.

According to federal law, only the portrait of deceased individuals may appear on United States currency and securities.

Earlier this year, Trump created a special task force to plan events surrounding the upcoming anniversary.

Link to tweet

The U.S. Mint is a bureau of the Department of Treasury responsible for the creation of coins. Only the faces of five American presidents and two founding fathers are on bills in circulation. The Treasury Department says it considers "persons whose places in history the American people know well" as candidates whose images would feature on coins. In 2011, the Treasury suspended the production of $1 coins due to a surplus, but continued to make some for collection. Congress signed legislation in 2020 during President Trump’s first term authorising the Treasury Secretary to issue $1 dollar coins during the 2026 calendar year that would be “emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial.” President Donald Trump would be the first living president to have his image on currency if the proposed $1 coins are minted.

The current intent is for these to be real coins. There will be some fun litigation on this

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. The only way he can legally appear on a US Coin. If he's dead

Link to tweet

[Enter stage left]

10. Fuckin' A. I'll support that!

[gordianot]

2. Nauseating.

[GenThePerservering]

3. Ironic.

The man destroying the US wants a coin with him on it commemorating its founding.

[Trueblue1968]

4. He couldbe dead very easily. Heie is s a sick man.

[Orrex]

7. I love your optimism!

[Turbineguy]

5. What about an Osama bin Ladin coin?

He's an enemy of the US and he's fuckin' dead.

[BOSSHOG]

6. Will the 34 felony convictions

Be etched on the front or back?

[Morbius]

8. I'm okay with the Trump coin.

As long as he's dead. I'll buy that for a dollar.

[IcyPeas]

9. These people are freaking delusional. /nt

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. This version of the trump coin makes me smile

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. If the trump coin is minted, then the only appropriate name for this coin is the Pedo

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[bdamomma]

13. Fuck

He thinks he's Caesar Augustus!!

[Conjuay]

14. well that moves a drill press up

on my priority list.

[MurrayDelph]

15. So they want to "honor America's 250th birthday,"

by officially reinstalling a king?

As noted, the only way he can legally be on US currency or postage is by being dead. Those conditions are acceptable, but the bill will be less favored that either the Susan B Anthony (who fought for white women's rights) or the Sakagawea (who is a hero to us in Oregon).

[LetMyPeopleVote]

16. MaddowBlog-Treasury eyes a commemorative dollar coin for Trump, with plans for a 2026 rollout

It might sound like a weird joke, but there’s an actual plan to make a legal tender $1 coin next year that would glorify the incumbent president.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-dollar-coin-2026-rollout-rcna235974

It’s against this backdrop that NBC News reported:

The Treasury on Friday shared draft images of a $1 commemorative coin, featuring President Donald Trump’s visage, that the United States Mint is preparing in honor of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Trump’s instantly recognizable profile is featured on the ‘heads’ side of the coin. On the ‘tails’ side, the coin will have an image of Trump with his first raised, standing in front of an American flag.

.....I should probably emphasize that this is not a joke. The report is not satire. This is not intended to make the administration look foolish for the sake of comedy......

Putting aside questions of propriety, how would this be legal? The answer is, it might not be. The New York Times reported:

The Treasury is authorized to mint the coins for a year, according to the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. The coins must have ‘designs emblematic of the U.S. semiquincentennial,’ the legislation says. It is not clear that Mr. Trump’s image can be featured on a coin. An 1866 law enshrined a tradition that only deceased people could appear on U.S. currency to avoid the appearance that America was a monarchy.

Let’s also not overlook the fact that the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 also states, “No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of any coin under subsections (x), (y), and (z).”

I wish that this was satire.