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The U.S. may mint a coin with Trump’s face despite a law he signed that prohibits collectibles with similar likenesses
The Treasury Department is considering minting a $1 coin emblazoned with President Donald Trump’s likeness to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026.
Draft designs feature Trump’s profile on the front side, with the word “Liberty” and the dates 1776–2026, and a reverse side showing Trump with a raised fist in front of an American flag.
The reverse side harkens to images captured of him after an assassination attempt on the political trail in Pennsylvania during his 2024 campaign. The motto “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT” appears above his image on the reverse side—a chant Trump mouthed to supporters right after the attack.
“No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach wrote on X in response to a post revealing sketches of the coin.
ATTENTION ALL PATRIOTS: America is back, and so is the one-dollar coin.⁰@POTUS @realDonaldTrump will forever be the face of America’s 250th Birthday, thanks to @SecScottBessent and @TreasurerBeach.
These first drafts show that our nation is ready to FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!! pic.twitter.com/16ith49v3H— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 3, 2025
But the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which Trump signed in January 2021, states: “No head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of specified coins,” which include the semiquincentennial series among others.
This rule has appeared in similar statutes and reaches back to longstanding Treasury practice, though historians note an exception: Calvin Coolidge, who appeared on a commemorative half-dollar while still in office in 1926. Since then, the Mint and the Treasury Department have strictly avoided living subjects—until now.
The final design for a $1 coin to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence has not yet been selected, a Treasury spokesperson told CNBC on Friday.
“This first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles,” the spokesperson said, according to CNBC. “We look forward to sharing more soon.”
The Department of the Treasury did not immediately provide a comment to Fortune.
The Treasury has not set a date for when the final draft will be decided, but the government shutdown may delay a final decision.
