Trump’s $1 coin for America’s 250th sparks debate over ego, legacy, and cult of personality

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Treasury is planning to mint a $1 commemorative coin featuring President Donald Trump’s profile on the heads side. The reverse shows Trump again, this time with his arm raised in front of an American flag — the pose he struck after an alleged assassination attempt during an outdoor rally in July 2024. It also bears the words he shouted that day: “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The Treasury circulated draft images of the coin on Friday. U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said the design reflects America’s enduring spirit and confirmed on X that the drafts are authentic.

Would the Trump commemorative coin be illegal?

It appears the coin, as designed, would in fact be illegal under current U.S. law, which prohibits placing the likeness of a living person on currency.

Federal law includes a specific provision for commemorative coins marking the 250th anniversary: “No coin issued under this subsection may bear the image of a living former or current President, or of any deceased former President during the 2-year period following the date of the death of that President.”

Critics have slammed the plan as both ego-driven and cultish, while Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said the coin resembled an authoritarian or monarchical gesture rather than the democratic traditions the U.S. was founded on.

Have any living presidents been depicted on coins during their term?

No U.S. president’s portrait has ever appeared on circulating coins while still in office — a practice long prohibited by both law and tradition.

Past presidents have been honored posthumously, such as the 1990 Eisenhower Centennial silver dollar and the 1916–17 McKinley Birthplace Memorial gold dollar.

Conservative commentators have praised the new coin, calling it a rightful tribute to Trump’s role in signing the 2020 law authorizing the Semiquincentennial $1 coins and arguing that it’s a way to put Trump on the money.

A Treasury spokesperson said: “Despite the radical left’s forced shutdown of our government, the facts are clear: under the historic leadership of President Donald J. Trump, our nation is entering its 250th anniversary stronger, more prosperous, and better than ever.”

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