September 3, 2026: President Donald Trump has been featured on a newly issued U.S. commemorative coin, making him the first living American president in nearly a century to have his portrait appear on a U.S. coin.
The special coin has been issued by the United States Mint to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. Alongside Trump’s portrait, the coin bears the inscription “In God We Trust.”
According to the BBC, the Mint said the commemorative issue was designed to reflect “the spirit, pride and heritage of a nation” as the United States marks two and a half centuries of independence.
A roll of 25 coins is priced at $61, or about £45, while a bag containing 100 coins costs $154.50. Within hours of sales opening, the coins were listed as “currently unavailable” on the U.S. Mint’s website.
The BBC said it contacted the U.S. Mint, the Treasury Department and the White House for further details.
The Mint described the commemorative coin as a way of celebrating a major milestone in U.S. history, saying its special, once-in-a-generation design would represent a significant addition to modern coin collecting.
The development follows comments made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in May, when he said there were plans to introduce a new $250 banknote featuring Trump’s portrait.
However, U.S. law places restrictions on depicting living individuals on paper currency. Trump’s congressional supporters have proposed legislation seeking to create an exception for the president, but the bill remains unresolved.
At the time, Bessent noted that a portrait of a sitting U.S. president had appeared on American currency before.
In 1926, a commemorative half-dollar issued to mark the 150th anniversary of U.S. independence featured the portrait of then-President Calvin Coolidge. It was the first known instance of a living U.S. president appearing on a U.S. coin.
The Trump administration has also pointed to the 2020 Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, which prohibits portraits of living individuals on the reverse side of U.S. coins. The law does not explicitly impose the same restriction on the obverse.
Trump’s portrait appears on the obverse side of the newly issued $1 commemorative coin.
Separately, the 1866 Thayer Amendment prohibits the depiction of living individuals on U.S. paper currency. Under the prevailing interpretation, however, that restriction does not apply to coins.
The decision to feature Trump on the commemorative coin has therefore drawn attention not only for its historical significance but also because it highlights the distinction in U.S. law between restrictions governing paper currency and those governing coins.
Source: BBC