March 22, 2026, 6:03 a.m. ET
Two similar, but very different, coins that may feature the likeness of President Donald Trump are getting closer to reality amid swirling controversy.
One would be a huge, gold collector’s item. The other would be a controversial and temporary addition to circulating currency, meant to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.
A U.S. Treasury Department advisory board on March 19 announced the design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin for the nation’s 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial). It features a portrait of Trump, a move that opponents say bucks tradition.
A separate $1 coin with Trump’s face on it could go into circulation, also as part of the semiquincentennial.
The coins, if they are produced, would be the latest push by Trump and his allies to feature his name and likeness on items and buildings of significance, from national park passes and banners to the renamed Trump-Kennedy Center for the Arts.
Here is what we know about the two coins and the controversy they have stoked:
Will there be a Trump coin in circulation?
The 24-karat gold commemorative coin would be a collector’s item and wouldn’t enter circulation. The $1 coin could go into circulation as legal tender.
The $1 coin’s design was voted on by the Commission of Fine Arts in January.
The coins haven’t been produced or released yet, and they are facing opposition, especially the $1 coin. Opponents argue there are legal issues at play for any coin used as currency that features a living person.
What do the Trump coins look like?
The planned design for the gold commemorative coin features a portrait of Trump with his fists pressed into the Resolute Desk, a photo taken by the chief White House photographer and on display at the National Portrait Gallery. The president approved the design, according to Megan Sullivan, acting chief of the mint’s Office of Design Management.
“It’s a very strong, very tough image of him,” said Chamberlain Harris, a member of the Commission of Fine Arts.
The gold coin would have the word “LIBERTY” and 1776-2026 on its face. The Commission of Fine Arts recommended it be 3 inches in diameter, the largest size the U.S. Mint can create.
The $1 coin’s design would feature a side profile image of Trump, also with the word “LIBERTY” and the dates 1776-2026.
How much will the gold Trump coin cost?
The Treasury Department hasn’t said how much the gold commemorative coin would cost, but other collectible coins for sale from the department go for as much as thousands of dollars.
Why are the coins controversial?
The $1 Trump coin that could potentially be produced is causing more controversy than the commemorative coin. But both coins face pushback for breaking with longstanding coin-producing norms about who should appear on a coin.
Several Democratic members of Congress argued in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the Trump $1 coin violates an 1886 law requiring “only the portrait of a deceased individual” appear on currency and securities.
The administration has said a 2020 law authorizing the creation of special 2026 coins gives the U.S. Mint the ability to make the $1 coin featuring Trump.
George Washington argued it was “monarchical” to have his image on currency during his lifetime.
Only one president has been featured on a coin when he was alive: Calvin Coolidge, on a 1926 half-dollar, pictured alongside Washington for the nation’s 150th anniversary. That coin was not popular, and most pieces were eventually melted.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, which was established in 2003 to advise the treasury secretary on coin themes and designs, notably did not approve designs for either Trump coin. The committee is separate from the Commission of Fine Arts, which was hand-selected by Trump.
The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee has refused to review the coins, arguing they go against the nation’s founding principles. Donald Scarinci, chair of the advisory committee, described the two proposals “as abhorrent to the Declaration of Independence” and said it was a “huge irony” to celebrate the country’s break from the British monarchy with coins of the president. Scarinci said such a coin would send the message that the sitting president is a king.
The advisory committee also did not approve the designs for the commemorative quarters that were introduced as part of the semiquincentennial. That committee approved a set of different designs, which included images related to the abolition of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement and women’s suffrage. Those were nixed by Bessent.
