Thomas Jefferson studied ancient Greek coins...

Editor's note: ...because they celebrated civic virtue and the collective identity of a free people, not the glorification of individual rulers. For Jefferson, currency was a civic classroom — a place for symbols of liberty, wisdom, and public duty, not living personalities or political power. Proposals to put Donald Trump on U.S. currency risk reversing that republican ideal by introducing leader-centered imagery more characteristic of monarchies and personality cults than democratic self-government. To honor Jefferson's vision, America's money should continue to reflect shared national principles, not partisan figures. To the U.S. Treasury: Don't do it. Nationality is a spirituality. Nationality is not merely political; it reflects the spiritual character of a people — their values, memory, and shared destiny. Not a personality.

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US unveils draft design for $1 Trump coin to mark 250th independence celebrations

By Costas Pitas and Andrea Shalal | October 4, 2025

Summary

• Draft design shows Trump in profile on front of coin

• Reverse shows US president with clenched fist

• Final design not yet selected, Treasury says

WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury on Friday released a draft design for a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate 250 years since the declaration of American independence in 2026. The front of the potential design showed Trump in profile with the word "liberty" above him and "1776-2026" below, according to images shared by Treasurer Brandon Beach on X and subsequently released by Treasury.

The other side of the coin showed Trump holding a raised clenched fist framed with the words "fight, fight, fight" - a reference to what he said immediately after surviving an assassination attempt last year - and a flag in the background.

DEBATE ON DESIGN'S LEGALITY

"While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States' semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles," a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.

Beach said on X that more information would be shared following the end of the government shutdown, which has suspended many federal operations while lawmakers remain at an impasse over a new spending bill. Congress in 2020 passed a law that allows the Treasury Secretary to mint $1 coins in 2026 "with designs emblematic of the U.S. semiquincentennial."

Debate quickly erupted on social media about the proposed coin, given that the law specifically says "no head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of any coin" created to mark the U.S. anniversary.

The proposed design features a wider illustration of Trump on the reverse side, a move that legal experts said would fall outside the ban on a "head and shoulders portrait or bust."

An 1866 law mandates that no living person's portrait can be used on U.S. currency, but that refers to paper money produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Coins are minted by the U.S. Mint.

Please go to Reuters to continue reading.

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What were Thomas Jefferson's warnings about public debt, banks, and future generations? He saw debt as a moral burden and a threat to republican liberty. Jefferson looked on public debt as a burden on posterity with debts they did not consent to as a silent and dangerous form of tyranny:

Here's How the Critical USA Debt Problem Will Be Fixed at Your Expense