Treasury mulls $1 Trump coin to celebrate America’s 250th birthday—and Trump
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach shared a first draft of the coin on social media on Friday.
Sarah Bregel
The U.S.
Treasury Department is considering a $1 commemorative coin bearing
President Donald Trump’s likeness in honor of America’s 250th
birthday—and to celebrate the president, too.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach shared a first draft of the coin on social media on Friday. The coin features Trump’s profile on one side, along with the words “IN GOD WE TRUST” and the dates 1776 and 2026.
The
other side features the president raising his fist next to an American
flag—a pose similar to the images of Trump raising his fist after an
attempted assassination in July 2024. The words “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT,”
which Trump had chanted to the crowd in that moment, also appear along
the edge of that side of the coin.
“No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real,” Beach wrote in a social media post. “Looking forward to sharing more soon.”
Why is the U.S. minting a new $1 coin?
In
preparation for the 250th anniversary of the formal adoption of the
Declaration of Independence in 1776, Congress in 2020 authorized the
U.S. Mint to issue new $1 coins in 2026 “with designs emblematic of the
United States semiquincentennial.”
In 1976, when the U.S. celebrated 200 years since 1776, a $1 coin was minted featuring the Liberty Bell and the moon.
According to the U.S. Mint,
the country’s commemorative coin program has raised more than $500
million in surcharges. That revenue goes to funding for federal museums,
monuments, historical sites, and more.
The most recent commemorative coins, featuring abolitionist Harriet Tubman and the Greatest Generation, were issued in 2024. Fast Company has asked the Treasury Department for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Trump coin could challenge precedent
Many
former presidents, including most recently George H.W. Bush, have been
featured on commemorative coins, but U.S. law forbids the Treasury from
minting and issuing a coin displaying a “living former or current President.”
The law, which dates to 1792, refers to coins created specifically to
celebrate a president, however. Presidents may appear on such a coin
only once two years have passed since their death, according to the
law.
It is unclear how the law might apply in the case of a coin issued for another purpose, such as the 250th anniversary, Reuters noted.
A spokesperson for the Treasury told Fox Business that the draft is among other designs
being considered. “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,” the spokesperson
said.
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