A Trump-appointed federal arts commission has approved the design of a 24-carat gold commemorative coin bearing US President Donald Trump’s image, officials said Thursday. The coin would mark the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The US Commission of Fine Arts, whose six members were replaced last October with Trump hand-picks, approved the design unanimously. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a Trump nominee, is expected to order the coin to be minted. The coin will not circulate as currency and is likely to be part of a limited collector series.
Two other coins bearing the president’s image are planned, including a $1 piece intended for circulation and a one-ounce gold coin.
Since returning to power in January 2025, Trump has pursued measures to shape his legacy, including renaming the Kennedy Center after himself and approving construction of a controversial White House ballroom. The coin proposal has drawn criticism from Democrats and some advisory officials; a separate bipartisan federal panel refused to consider the gold coin last month.
Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, said only “monarchs and dictators put their faces on coins, not leaders of a democracy.”
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko