A 24-karat gold coin will soon feature the face of US President Donald Trump to commemorate America’s 250th birthday on July 4. The final form was completed on Thursday by the Federal Commission for the Arts.
The American Commission on Fine Arts, supporters of MAGA, handpicked by Trump himself, voted unopposed. The US Mint will soon begin production of “Trump coins,” the size and denomination of which are still being debated.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement: “As we approach our 250th birthday, we are excited to prepare coins that represent the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, and there is no profile more emblematic of the obverse of such coins than that of our President-in-Office, Donald J. Trump.
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But the unprecedented move serves as yet another example of how Trump and his allies are circumventing conventional past presidential practices and even the law to get what they want, according to the Associated Press.
What does American law say?
Under US federal law, no living president may appear on US currency. But Trump saves his name and likeness in the historical archive.
The U.S. Mint said the Treasury Secretary has the authority to mint and issue new 24-karat gold coins.
Megan Sullivan, acting head of the Mint’s Office of Design Management, presented the coin’s final design at the commission’s March meeting Thursday and said Trump approved it.
“My understanding is that the Treasury Secretary presented this proposal, as well as others, to the president, and that was his choice,” Sullivan said.
The coin will be part of a “very limited production run,” Sullivan said, but the number has not been determined.
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About Trump’s gold coin
According to an AP report, the obverse of the coin depicts Trump in a suit and tie with a stern expression on his face. His fists rest on what is supposed to be a desk as he leans forward.
The inscription on the top half of the coin spells out “LIBERTY” in a slight arc. Directly below that are the dates 1776-2026. The words “IN GOD WE TRUST” are at the bottom, with seven stars on one side of the coin and six stars on the other.
The reverse features a bald eagle in mid-flight with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” on the right and “E PLURIBUS UNUM” on the left.
The commemorative half-century gold coin design features U.S. President Donald Trump in this undated image. US Mint/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE WAS SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY(via REUTERS)Read also | Trump rules out US ground troops in Iran conflict: “I’m not stating…”
Responding to the proposal, Trump’s top White House adviser, Commissioner Chamberlain Harris, said: “I know it’s a very strong and very tough image of him, and I think it’s appropriate to have a current sitting president who has presided over the country for over 250 years on the commemorative coin for that year.”
Trump gold coin size
The coin’s size and face value have not yet been decided, Sullivan said. However, given Trump’s penchant for big things, some commissioners reportedly advocated for the largest-sized coin.
The U.S. Mint is therefore looking at a size that is larger than its 1-ounce (28-gram) gold coin, which is about 1.3 inches (3.3 centimeters) in diameter, Sullivan said.
“I think the bigger the better. I think he would prefer the biggest of those costs,” Harris said of Trump.
