Donald Trump has become the first living United States president to appear on American currency in roughly a century, after the US Mint launched a $1 coin bearing his portrait on Wednesday.
The coin, released to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, features Trump’s likeness on the obverse alongside the inscriptions “LIBERTY” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The Mint confirmed the coins are not being placed into general circulation, though they remain valid as legal tender.
Federal law has long prohibited living presidents from appearing on US currency, but a design clause written into legislation tied to the anniversary celebrations was used to navigate that restriction, according to BBC reporting. The Trump administration has also pointed to the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, passed during Trump’s first term, which bans portraits of living individuals on the reverse side of coins but does not explicitly address the obverse, where Trump’s image now appears.
Demand was strong at launch. Priced at $61 for a roll of 25 and $154.50 for a bag of 100, the coins were listed as out of stock on the Mint’s website within hours of going on sale. They were also available through vending machines at the US Mint’s Washington DC store.
Despite their gold colouring, the coins contain no actual gold. The Mint states they are composed of 88.5% copper, with the remainder being zinc, manganese and nickel.
The coin is the latest in a series of moves placing Trump’s image on official American artefacts. In March, the Treasury announced that US banknotes would soon carry Trump’s signature, itself described as a first for a sitting president. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also revealed in May that a new $250 bill featuring Trump’s portrait was in the works.
A historical precedent of sorts does exist. A commemorative half-dollar issued in 1926 for America’s 150th anniversary featured then-sitting President Calvin Coolidge, a detail the administration has cited in defending the new coin’s design.
The US Mint, Treasury and White House had not provided further comment at the time of reporting.
