The US Treasury on Friday released a draft design for a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate 250 years since the declaration of American independence in 2026.
The front of the potential design showed Trump in profile with the word “liberty” above him and “1776-2026” below, according to images shared by Treasurer Brandon Beach on X and subsequently released by Treasury.
The other side of the coin showed Trump holding a raised clenched fist framed with the words “fight, fight, fight” – a reference to what he said immediately after surviving an assassination attempt last year – and a flag in the background.
CAN A COIN FEATURING TRUMP BE LEGAL?
“While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States’ semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles,” a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.
Beach said on X that more information would be shared following the end of the government shutdown, which has suspended many federal operations while lawmakers remain at an impasse over a new spending bill.
Congress in 2020 passed a law that allows the treasury secretary to mint $1 coins in 2026 “with designs emblematic of the US semiquincentennial.”
Debate quickly erupted on social media about the proposed coin, given that the law specifically says “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” created.
WHAT DO LEGAL EXPERTS SAY?
The proposed design features a wider illustration of Trump on the reverse side, a move that legal experts said would fall outside the ban on a “head and shoulders portrait or bust.”
An 1866 law mandates that no living person’s portrait can be used on US currency, but that refers to paper money produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Coins are minted by the US Mint.
WHAT DOES TRUMP THINK?
Asked on Friday whether Trump had seen the draft coin design, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, “I’m not sure if he’s seen it, but I’m sure he’ll love it.”
With Reuters
