Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the commemorative coin will portray President Donald Trump alongside imagery from the 2024 assassination attempt, though critics argue federal law prohibits living presidents from appearing on U.S. coinage.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Mint will produce a commemorative $1 gold coin featuring President Donald Trump as part of the federal government’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Wednesday.
Bessent unveiled the coin in a July 15 post on X, saying it was designed to “honor the enduring legacy of liberty and a lasting symbol of patriotism.”
“Featuring President Trump, it celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all,” Bessent said.
The 24-karat gold coin will feature images closely associated with Trump’s political career and the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania.
One side will show Trump standing beside an American flag with his fists clenched and the phrase “Fight, fight, fight,” recalling the words he used after raising his fist moments after the shooting.
That side will also include the traditional inscriptions “United States of America” and “E Pluribus Unum.”
The opposite side will display Trump’s profile along with the words “Liberty” and “In God We Trust.”
The Commission of Fine Arts unanimously approved the final design March 19.
The coin is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to place the president’s image on federal buildings, institutions, currency and other government materials during his second term.
Treasury officials began drafting plans in October 2025 for a $1 coin featuring Trump’s likeness.
The department said in May that it was also considering a $250 bill bearing the president’s image. Officials acknowledged that such a proposal would require Congress to change federal law before it could proceed.
“It’s all in the hands of Capitol Hill,” Bessent told reporters at the time. “We prepared things in advance, but we will stick to the law.”
The legality of placing Trump on the commemorative coin remains disputed.
Federal law generally prohibits living people from appearing on U.S. currency unless Congress authorizes an exception. All currency must also carry the motto “In God We Trust,” regardless of any redesign or legislative change.
The White House maintains that the coin is permitted under the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which authorizes special designs commemorating the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Critics argue that other federal statutes expressly prohibit the image of a living president from appearing on U.S. coinage.
The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 limits its presidential series to former presidents who have died.
Federal law under 31 U.S. Code § 5112 also restricts the minting of coins bearing “the image of a living former or current president,” as well as the image of a president who has been dead for fewer than two years.
The conflict between those statutes and the 2020 commemorative coin law could lead to further legal or congressional scrutiny before the coin enters production.
President Calvin Coolidge was the last sitting president whose image appeared on a U.S. coin. Coolidge was featured on a commemorative coin marking the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The Trump coin announcement follows other significant changes in U.S. currency production.
The Treasury Department officially stopped manufacturing pennies for general circulation in November, ending 230 years of production.
Officials cited the cost of making the one-cent coin, which had risen to approximately 4 cents per penny.
Existing pennies remain legal tender, although coins are used less frequently in everyday transactions.
A 2022 Federal Reserve analysis estimated that approximately 60% of pennies were being kept in jars, piggy banks and other household storage rather than actively circulating. That amounted to as much as $90 in coins for a typical household.
Economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond have warned that ending penny production could create additional costs for consumers if businesses routinely round cash purchases upward to the nearest 5 cents.
That practice, sometimes described as a rounding tax, could cost shoppers approximately $6 million.
It remains unclear whether the federal government will also reconsider production of the nickel.
Although the coin has a face value of 5 cents, it costs nearly 14 cents to manufacture.
The $1 Trump coin will be produced as the administration prepares commemorative materials for America’s 250th anniversary, but debate over whether a sitting president may legally appear on the coin is expected to continue.
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