The U.S. Treasury Department announced Friday that it is considering minting new $1 coins bearing President Donald Trump’s image with his raised-fist after surviving an assassination attempt, as part of plans to commemorate America’s 250th birthday.
The story, first reported by Fox News and later confirmed by U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, was quickly shared by the White House and its Rapid Response 47 social media account. Images accompanying the announcement showed a silver coin featuring Trump’s face on one side and a depiction of him looking upward and raising his fist in the air in defiance, evoking the moment he was escorted offstage by Secret Service agents after the July 2024 attack in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Treasury officials said the proposed design represents the spirit of American resilience as the nation approaches its semi-quincentennial. They have not confirmed whether or not the coin could violate the federal statute that bars living individuals from appearing on U.S. currency.
Federal law under 31 U.S. Code 5112 explicitly prohibits any coin issued from bearing the image of a living former or current president.
Paper currency is printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, while the U.S. Mint imprints coins. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco has previously noted that the prohibition on featuring living individuals dates back to an 1866 Act of Congress, which sought to avoid the appearance of monarchy.
Treasury officials have not indicated whether commemorative exceptions could be made for the Trump design. During Trump’s first term, Congress passed the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, authorizing new commemorative coins beginning in 2026 to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary. That legislation called for designs honoring Native Americans, innovators, and women.
The U.S. Mint recently issued commemorative coins recognizing the 200th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s birth.
