U.S. Mint Begins Selling Trump $1 Coins. Are They Legal?

The U.S. Mint began selling $1 coins bearing a likeness of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, making him the first living president in a century to have his face on currency.

Celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial, the gold-colored coins—which do not contain any precious metal—will feature a portrait of the president on one side, along with inscriptions of “LIBERTY,” “IN GOD WE TRUST,” and “1776 ~ 2026.” On the other side is an illustration of the presidential seal and inscriptions of “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “ONE DOLLAR.”

Read More: All the Things Trump Has Put His Name and Face on as President

Certain coins will feature an additional commemorative emblem. The U.S. Mint said that 250,000 of the coins were struck on July 4 in Philadelphia, and those are embellished with a special “July 4th” privy mark. The coins will be distributed at random among the rolls and bags that are sold.

Collectors can purchase a 25-coin roll for $61 or a 100-coin bag for $154.50. There is a limit of two of any product per household in place through Thursday. While they are being sold as numismatic products, at a premium, they can be used for legal tender, according to the U.S. Mint.

The coin, which is being pressed at the Philadelphia Mint, was first announced in July by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. He wrote on X that the coin “celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all.”

Although this will be the first currency featuring Trump to enter production, it is not the first that has been proposed by the Treasury. Earlier this year, Bessent unveiled plans for Trump to appear on a commemorative $250 bill, and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts voted to approve a 24-karat gold commemorative coin featuring Trump’s face in March.

Are Trump $1 coins legal?

Democratic lawmakers and coin collectors have questioned the legality of putting a living president’s face on a coin, pointing to federal law that states: “Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities.”

In December 2025, Democratic Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada introduced a bill seeking to block Trump’s efforts to put his face on the $1 coin. Several senators on the Financial Services and General Government subcommittee penned a letter against the coin as well, pointing to how George Washington “strongly opposed having his image on U.S. coins during his presidency, viewing it as a contradiction to the war for independence from Kings.”

“Placing the bust of a living president on a commemorative or circulating coin contradicts who we are as a nation,” the senators wrote.

Bessent has acknowledged federal law, but has argued that there is precedent for Trump’s likeness on the coin.

"During the 150th there was a Calvin Coolidge coin," Bessent said on Fox News in July. "So we can put living presidents' images on a coin."

The Treasury is referring to the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, which enables it to create coins with designs "emblematic of the United States" to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary.

However, the 2020 law authorizing the Semiquincentennial coins prohibits portraits of living people on the reverse side. Trump’s portrait appears on the obverse, or front, in order to align with the statute.