US Mint to issue $1 coin featuring Trump for America's 250th anniversary

The commemorative coin has sparked legal questions, with critics citing a federal law barring designs depicting living persons.

The US Mint will issue a commemorative $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States - Photo: Screengrab/Reuters
2 min read  |  Published: 16 Jul 2026 Updated: 16 Jul 2026, 12:04 pm

The US Mint will begin producing $1 coins with President Donald Trump's face on the front as part of its commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday .

The design, which also features the words "Liberty," "In God We Trust" and "1776-2026" on the front and an image of the bald eagle from the presidential seal on the back was a revision from a draft made public in October. The rear face of that design showed Trump holding a raised clenched fist framed with the words "fight, fight, fight," a reference to the 2024 assassination attempt against him.

Trump said he was "honored" by the coin.

"They gave me a coin," Trump said in an interview with Fox Business. "That's very unusual from what I understand."

Critics have raised questions about the design's legality. An 1866 US 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.

Congress in 2020 passed a law allowing the Treasury Secretary to mint $1 coins to mark the 250th anniversary, but that law forbade designs portraying a living person.

The US Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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