Trump Becomes First Living US President in a Century to Appear on American Currency

President Donald Trump has become the first living US president in roughly a century to appear on American currency, after his portrait was featured on a newly issued $1 coin commemorating the United States' upcoming 250th anniversary.

The US Mint released the special-edition coin on Wednesday, featuring Trump's portrait on the front alongside the inscriptions "LIBERTY" and "IN GOD WE TRUST". The Mint described the design as a celebration of the country's approaching 250th birthday and said it had been created to capture "the spirit, pride, and legacy of a nation approaching its landmark anniversary".

The coins were offered for $61 (£45) for a roll containing 25 coins, while a bag of 100 was priced at $154.50. Within hours of the coins becoming available, however, the US Mint's website listed them as "not currently in stock". The BBC said it had contacted the US Mint, the Treasury and the White House seeking additional information.

According to the Mint, the coins were "created to celebrate this historic national milestone" and feature a "once-in-a-generation anniversary design destined to become a standout addition to modern collections". They were also available through vending machines at the US Mint store in Washington DC.

Although the new $1 coins have a distinctive golden appearance, they contain no actual gold. The US Mint says their composition is 88.5% copper, with the remainder consisting of zinc, manganese and nickel.

The release comes as the Trump administration has also considered putting the president's likeness on paper currency. In May, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department was planning to issue a new $250 bill featuring a portrait of Trump.

Unlike coins, however, federal law prohibits the appearance of living people's portraits on US paper money. Trump supporters in Congress have introduced legislation seeking to create an exception to that rule, but the proposal has so far stalled.

Bessent previously pointed to another instance in which a sitting president appeared on US currency. A commemorative half-dollar released in 1926 to mark the 150th anniversary of the United States featured President Calvin Coolidge, who was still in office at the time.

The Trump administration has also referred to the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, legislation passed during Trump's first presidential term, in explaining the legal basis for the new coin.

That law prohibits portraits of living individuals on the reverse, or tails, side of coins, but it does not expressly prohibit them from appearing on the obverse, or heads, side. Trump's portrait is displayed on the obverse of the newly released $1 coins.

Separately, the Thayer Amendment of 1866 prohibits the portrait of a living person from appearing on US banknotes. That restriction, however, has traditionally been understood as applying to paper currency rather than coins.

The new Trump coin therefore represents a significant departure in modern US currency history, placing the likeness of a sitting president on a coin while the country prepares to mark its 250th anniversary.

By fLEXI tEAM