The U.S. is preparing to produce a $1 coin featuring the face of President Donald Trump to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country's founding, despite questions over whether this violates laws prohibiting images of living persons on currency.
The U.S. Treasury announced plans to mint a $1 coin bearing the portrait of President Donald Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence in 2026.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed on Wednesday (15 July) that the U.S. Mint has already begun producing the coin at its Philadelphia facility.
The coin’s obverse features President Trump's face alongside the inscriptions "Liberty," "In God We Trust," and "1776-2026," symbolizing the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding. The reverse depicts a bald eagle, the emblem from the presidential seal of the United States.
This coin design differs from the draft released last October, which originally showed Trump raising a fist on the reverse with the phrase "Fight, Fight, Fight," referencing an assassination attempt during his 2024 election campaign.
Trump told Fox Business he felt deeply honored to have his image featured on the coin, noting it was a rare distinction.
However, the coin’s design has sparked legal controversy because a U.S. law enacted in 1866 prohibits images of living persons on the nation’s currency. That law specifically covers banknotes produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing but does not explicitly address coinage.
Meanwhile, although Congress passed legislation in 2020 authorizing the Treasury to produce $1 coins commemorating the 250th anniversary, that law also stipulates that the coin designs must not depict living individuals.
Bessent justified the decision by noting that during the U.S.'s 150th anniversary in 1926, then-living President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a commemorative coin, indicating no precedent forbidding living persons on coins.
The U.S. Treasury confirmed the coin is currently in production and will be issued as part of the 250th anniversary celebrations in 2026.
Source:channelnewsasia
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