TREASURY URGED AMERICANS TO SPEND ITS NEW TRUMP $1 COIN
The U.S. Mint made a $1 coin with President Donald Trump’s face on it for the nation’s 250th anniversary, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on July 15, 2026, and Treasury later urged Americans to go spend it. The coin is gold-colored rather than made of gold, and its legality was questioned because federal law generally bars living people from appearing on U.S. currency.
Bessent wrote on X that the coin was made “to honor the enduring legacy of liberty and a lasting symbol of patriotism,” PBS NewsHour reported. He added: “Featuring President Trump, it celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all.”
The front shows Trump in a suit and tie with a stern look, along with the words “LIBERTY,” “1776-2026” and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” The back has a bald eagle based on the Great Seal of the United States, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” on top and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” on the shield across its chest.
Trump told Fox Business Network that having his image on a coin was “very unusual, but I was honored by it.” He added, “it’s very cute they gave me a coin.”
The finished coin is not quite the one the Commission of Fine Arts approved earlier. That version had Trump leaning forward with his fists resting on a desk, and the Treasury Department did not say why the pose was dropped. The commission’s members were appointed by Trump.
Experts questioned the legal footing
The administration argued that a 2020 coin law makes this one allowed. The Congressional Research Service noted that the 2020 Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act authorized $1 coins with designs emblematic of the U.S. Semiquincentennial.
Legal experts were not convinced, NPR reported. “The law prohibits, currently, on currency, the likeness of any person — not just the president — who is alive,” said Jeremy Paul, a constitutional-law professor and former dean at Northeastern University School of Law.
Coin-law expert Scarinci called the move illegal and said Congress could confiscate and demonetize the coins, ABC News reported. The network also reported that review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, a body Congress created, may have been skipped.
The coin was not Trump’s first appearance on money. Treasury announced in March 2026 that his signature would go on all new U.S. paper currency, which traditionally carries the signatures of the treasury secretary and the treasurer, not the president, the Associated Press reported in the PBS story.
From collectible to coffee order
The Mint began selling the coin as a collectible on September 2, 2026, the Associated Press reported. The coins are legal tender, and NPR reported they were made at the Philadelphia Mint.
A roll of 25 cost $61, or $2.44 per coin. A bag of 100 cost $154.50, about $1.55 per coin. Households were limited in how many orders they could place, and the Mint’s website later showed the coin as temporarily out of stock while more were made.
Then came the sales pitch. On October 14, 2026, Treasurer Brandon Beach appeared in a Treasury Department video posted on TikTok. “This is the dollar coin. It will be in the banks next month,” he said, according to Fox Business.
He then gave viewers an assignment: “And I want to challenge you to go get a roll of dollar coins next month. And then I want you to go to your favorite liberal coffee shop with your top dollar coins. Buy a cup of coffee. Watch their heads explode. They will not like it.”
