US Mint officially launches $1 coin featuring Trump

The United States Mint released 250,000 $1 coins Wednesday featuring President Trump’s likeness to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The design of the coin shows a simple portrait of the president — designed by United States Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna and inspired by an official White House photo by Daniel Torok — on one side with the inscriptions “Liberty,” “In God We Trust” and “1776 ~ 2026.”

The coin was greenlighted in March after controversy arose stemming from a federal law that previously prohibited living people from being depicted on U.S. currency. But a law Trump signed during his first term — called the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 — included new language regarding the semiquincentennial commemoration coins.

The Trump administration also told Newsweek it does not need congressional approval for the coin — citing a history of coins with the likeness of the sitting president such as a 150th anniversary coin with former President Calvin Coolidge as one example in a legal filing.

The other side of the new coin has the insignia from the Presidential Seal, which shows an eagle holding an olive branch, a bundle of arrows with a shield on its breast and a banner. This side contains the inscription “250” to honor the semiquincentennial of the U.S.

The coins have a gold-like finish but a nonprecious metal composition. They are being minted in Philadelphia and will be available Sept. 2 in 25-coin rolls and 100-coin bags.

The U.S. Mint noted that the coins were never placed into circulation but “may be still used as legal tender.”

The U.S. Mint is already offering several commemorative coins this year, including “Revolutionary War Quarters,” “American Eagle Gold Coins” and “Enduring Liberty Half Dollars” — with some valued at more than $10,000.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated the coin featuring Trump “celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all.”

He has also led the Treasury Department to print new currency with the president’s signature earlier this year.

Other projects by the Trump administration to add the president’s name and likeness have also received criticism — notably in an ongoing legal battle to add Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center.

A new plan would add an inscription reading “Restored and Renovated by President Donald Trump” after a federal judge ruled against an earlier proposal that would alter the center’s official name, finding that only Congress could change the center’s name.