Rumors of a one-dollar coin bearing the image of U.S. President Donald Trump surfaced last week and the U.S. Treasury has now confirmed them. The department is considering minting the coin to commemorate America's 250th birthday in 2026.
Confirmation: No Fake News
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach stated on social media: "No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America's 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real." He added that more details would be shared once the ongoing government shutdown — now in its sixth day — ends.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday she was not sure if the president had seen the design but added, "I'm sure he'll love it."
Legal Hurdle: No Living Persons on Coins
However, Section 6 of the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 explicitly prohibits "any head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person" on the reverse of specified coins. This means placing Trump's image on a circulated coin would violate current law.
The circulating design shows a bust of the president on one side and a reverse image of Trump pumping his right fist with the words "Fight, Fight, Fight" inscribed along the top — referencing his reaction after surviving an assassination attempt last summer.
Historical Precedent: The Only Living President on a Coin
Only one living president has ever appeared on a U.S. coin: Calvin Coolidge. In 1926, a million half-dollars were minted bearing busts of both Coolidge and George Washington for the country's sesquicentennial. The coins were not a success; 859,408 of them were returned to the Philadelphia Mint and melted.
Trump is already the first U.S. president to launch a personal memecoin. If the dollar coin becomes reality, he would be the first to have both a digital token and a physical legal-tender coin. How the administration plans to bypass the legal prohibition remains unclear, possibly requiring special legislation or an executive order.