The Treasury Department announced designs this week for a special-edition gold-colored $1 commemorative coin honoring the United States’ 250th anniversary, featuring an image of President Trump alongside an eagle from the national seal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the design, which will be minted in Philadelphia and made available for purchase in the fall, with a gold-like finish and inscriptions reading “Liberty” and “1776-2026.”
Legal experts have raised significant concerns about the coin’s legality. Constitutional law professor Jeremy Paul from Northeastern University School of Law cited federal statute that prohibits the likeness of any living person from appearing on currency. The Treasury Department counters that commemorative coins fall outside this restriction, citing a 2020 Congressional law authorizing special-edition 250th anniversary coins. Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, noted that placing heads of state on coins has historically been associated with monarchies and authoritarian systems, which runs counter to American democratic principles.
The coin marks only the second time in American history that a sitting president’s image has appeared on official U.S. currency. The only prior instance occurred exactly a century ago when a Calvin Coolidge commemorative coin was issued during the sesquicentennial in 1926—a coin program that ultimately proved unpopular, with over 859,000 of the 1 million produced pieces returned to the Mint and melted. The 2005 Presidential $1 Coin Act explicitly stipulates that presidents must be deceased for at least two years before appearing on coins.
A legal challenge to the coin has already been filed. In March, a retired lawyer from Portland, Oregon, sued to block the proposal, but a federal judge denied the motion last month, finding the plaintiff had not sufficiently demonstrated direct injury beyond being a concerned citizen. Court experts indicate that mounting successful legal challenges could face procedural difficulties regarding standing to sue.
The coin represents one of several initiatives the administration has undertaken to place Trump’s image on official government materials, including passports, national park passes, and federal building banners. The Treasury also announced that all future paper currency will bear Trump’s signature and prepared designs for a $250 bill featuring his face, though Congressional approval remains uncertain. Meanwhile, the department announced it is no longer pursuing a decades-long initiative to place Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, drawing criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum.