Nicolai Haugsted
Trump’s new coin has everyone arguing over one forgotten law.
Donald Trump is set to appear on a new U.S. $1 coin marking America’s 250th anniversary, but the announcement has sparked an unexpected legal debate over whether a sitting president is even allowed to appear on American currency.
Critics insist the plan violates long-standing federal law. Others argue the commemorative coin falls under a different set of rules entirely.
Old laws collide with new legislation
Much of the controversy centers on legislation dating back to 1866.
The so-called Thayer Amendment has long been prohibiting the image of a living person from appearing on U.S. currency. Another law, the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, is even more specific.
It states:
“No coin issued…may bear the image of a living former or current President, or of any deceased former President during the two-year period following the date of the death of that President.”
Despite those provisions, supporters of the project argue the planned coin falls under a separate legal framework created specifically for America’s 250th anniversary.
Court never ruled on the central question
Former Portland attorney James Rickher previously attempted to stop production of the Trump coin by filing a lawsuit, arguing that featuring a living president on currency would violate federal law.
His case was dismissed in June, but not because a judge concluded the coin was legal.
Instead, U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut ruled that Rickher had failed to show he would personally suffer harm, meaning the court never addressed whether the coin itself breaks the law.
Meanwhile, legal experts continue to debate whether commemorative coins should be treated differently from ordinary circulating currency.
Treasury defends the decision
The U.S. Mint has confirmed plans to release the coin as part of the country’s semiquincentennial celebrations, citing authority granted under the 2020 Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also dismissed claims that the administration is acting outside the law.
“As Treasury secretary, I only have two mandates: the currency has to say ‘In God We Trust’ somewhere on it and there cannot be an image of a living person,” he said according to Unilad.
Bessent immediately pointed to what he considers an important exception.
“During the 150th, there was a Calvin Coolidge coin, so we can put living people’s images on a coin.”
Coolidge appeared on a commemorative coin in 1926 while still alive, making him the only living U.S. president to have done so since the country began producing its own currency in 1792.
Whether Trump’s coin ultimately becomes another accepted exception or reignites a larger legal battle remains an open question, with conflicting interpretations of federal law continuing to fuel debate.
