Donald Trump is president now, but, as many people no doubt tell themselves while taking deep breaths in and out, he won’t be president forever. (Even if he threatens a third term!) Looking for a tangible way to remember these years beyond the PTSD and night terrors? Team Trump has got just the thing for you: legal tender with the 45th and 47th president’s face on it, because, yes, he and his people are just going to ignore the rule that says living people cannot appear on money.
The U.S. Mint is now selling $1 coins featuring Trump’s mug, available for purchase in rolls of 25 for $61 or a bag of 100 for $154.50. While federal regulations prohibit this exact thing, the Trump administration has gotten around it by asserting it has the power to do so under a 2020 law stating the Treasury “may mint for issuance … $1 dollar coins with designs emblematic of the U.S. semiquincentennial.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also reached back a century for precedent, noting on Fox News that there is a Calvin Coolidge coin minted around the nation’s 150th.
While the coins can be used as actual money, the U.S. Mint envisions them as collector’s items, perhaps like the NFT trading cards Trump sold featuring tiny pieces of the suit he wore while having his mugshot taken in 2023. “Created to celebrate this historic national milestone, these special circulating dollar coins combine everyday American coinage with a once-in-a-generation anniversary design destined to become a standout addition to modern collections,” the agency said.
