Washington. US President Donald Trump has become the first living US president in about a century to appear on a circulating US coin, after the United States Mint released a new $1 coin bearing his portrait.
The coin entered circulation on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Mint also began selling the coins to collectors in rolls and bags.
Trump’s portrait appears on the front of the coin alongside the inscriptions “LIBERTY”, “IN GOD WE TRUST” and “1776 ~ 2026”. The reverse features the Presidential Seal, including an eagle holding an olive branch and arrows, with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and “ONE DOLLAR”.
The development breaks with a long-standing US tradition of avoiding images of living presidents on currency. Trump is the first living president to appear on a circulating US coin in roughly 100 years.
The previous sitting president to appear on a US coin was Calvin Coolidge, whose image featured on a commemorative half-dollar issued in 1926 to mark the 150th anniversary of American independence.
The Trump coin is legal tender with a face value of $1, although the Mint is selling collectors’ rolls of 25 coins for $61 and bags of 100 for $154.50.
Despite its gold-coloured appearance, the coin contains no gold. The Mint says it is made of 88.5 percent copper, 6 percent zinc, 3.5 percent manganese and 2 percent nickel. It weighs 8.1 grams and was produced at the Philadelphia Mint.
The Mint says 250,000 of the coins were struck on July 4 with a special “July 4th” mark and randomly distributed among the rolls and bags sold to collectors.
The release has attracted attention because federal law generally restricts the appearance of living individuals on US currency. Supporters of the coin have pointed to the 1926 Coolidge commemorative coin as historical precedent, while critics have questioned the decision to feature a sitting president.
The Mint describes the new coin as a celebration of America's 250 years of history and says its design is intended to reflect the country's past, present and future.
