Trump portrait appears on US $1 commemorative coin

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the U.S. Mint will strike a new $1 commemorative coin featuring a portrait of former President Donald Trump. The coin, part of the nation’s semiquincentennial celebrations marking 250 years of independence (1776‑2026), carries the inscriptions “LIBERTY”, “IN GOD WE TRUST”, and the dates 1776–2026 on the obverse and a bald eagle from the Great Seal on the reverse. It will have a gold‑colored finish but be made of a non‑precious‑metal alloy.

The design has sparked legal controversy. Federal law from 1866 generally prohibits the image of a living person on U.S. currency, and a 2020 statute authorizing commemorative coins expressly bars living portraits. Treasury officials argue the law permits the coin because it is a special commemorative issue and cite a historical precedent of a Calvin Coolidge coin issued while he was alive. Critics, including several members of Congress, claim the coin violates tradition and the law. Earlier design drafts showed Trump with a clenched fist and the phrase “Fight, fight, fight,” which was later removed.

Production is underway in Philadelphia, with the coin slated for release in the fall of 2026 as part of the broader program of semiquincentennial observances.