Donald Trump set to feature on 24-carat gold coin to celebrate 250 years of independence from Britain
Fists clenched and face full of grim determination; This is how Donald Trump wants to go down in American history.
It may seem like a solid golden example of a runaway ego, but this soon-to-be-minted coin was designed to celebrate 250 years of his country’s independence from Britain.
And it’s little surprise that when White House aide Chamberlain Harris was asked how big the money should be, she replied: ‘The bigger the better.’
It is expected to be 3 inches in diameter (7.6 cm) and made of 24-carat gold with the image of the US President on it.
Commissioned by a federal arts panel of members appointed by Mr. Trump, the coin forms part of a series of coins the U.S. Mint plans to produce to celebrate America’s anniversary.
It also adds to a growing list of efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to stamp the President’s name on buildings, government programs, Navy warships and U.S. currency since the start of his second White House term in January 2025.
The US Mint, which is responsible for producing the country’s coin, will now finalize the coin’s dimensions with the design approved by Trump himself.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to order the coinage later.
The Federal Art Panel commissioned a coin from US President Donald Trump to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence from Britain
The design will depict a stern-looking Mr. Trump leaning over his desk and looking forward, based on a photograph on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
Needless to say, many Democratic Senators were less than impressed.
“They put the faces of monarchs and dictators on money, not the faces of leaders of democracy,” said Senator Jeff Merkley.
‘The Trump administration’s decision to put his face on a commemorative coin is its latest effort to distort the meaning of America’s 250th birthday.’
Donald Scarinci, a member of the bipartisan Citizens Advisory Committee, a separate federal panel that declined to consider the gold coin proposal last month, noted that this is not the first time a sitting president has been found on a commemorative coin.
In 1926—150 years after the 1776 Declaration of Independence—an image of then-president, Republican Calvin Coolidge, was struck on a commemorative coin.
Notably, his profile was covered with a picture of George Washington.
Mr. Scarinci noted that the size of Mr. Trump’s money will be different and will feature only the President of the United States.
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The coin’s design will depict a stern-looking Mr. Trump leaning over his desk and looking forward, based on a photograph on display at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
Mr. Trump has also proposed a $1 coin bearing his image that would go into circulation this year.
But Mr. Scarinci said the $1 coin would clearly violate a law that prohibits the image of a sitting or former president from appearing on a one-dollar coin until three years after his death.
However, there may still be a potential gap. Unlike the dollar coin in circulation, the gold coin would remain a collector’s item.
Mr. Scarinci said that under the law, both his panel and the Fine Arts Commission must approve the money.
He added: ‘But we still expect them to move forward and print both currencies.’
