Is it legal for Trump to put his picture on US Mint dollar coin?

The Trump administration plans to issue a $1 commemorative coin featuring Donald Trump’s image on both sides, marking the US’s 250th anniversary, despite the longstanding norm against featuring living persons, especially sitting presidents, on US currency.

While US currency typically avoids depicting living people, there have been instances where living individuals, including presidents, appeared on US paper currency, such as Lincoln, Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, and General Winfield Scott, often through legal loopholes or special circumstances. Historically, legislation has prohibited portraying living persons on US coinage; for example, a 2007 law banning images of current or recent presidents on coins during certain periods, though this law specifically applied to a presidential series and not broadly to all coins. The legal framework for the proposed Trump coin comes from the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, signed by Trump in January 2021, which authorizes redesigns for various coins for the US’s 250th anniversary in 2026. This law explicitly prohibits images of living persons solely on the reverse (back) of coins within the series, but it does not explicitly ban portraits on the obverse (front) of the coin, potentially allowing Trump’s image on the front. From a legal standpoint, there appear to be no insurmountable obstacles preventing the creation of a Trump coin, especially if Congress does not intervene; presidential authority could potentially be exercised to produce such a coin. Experts suggest that challenging the coin’s legality might be difficult, as it’s unclear who would have standing to sue, and courts might see no direct harm resulting from its production. The longstanding tradition and norm in the US is not to feature living persons on coins, rooted in the country's republican values and historical practices, as the US sought to differentiate its currency from monarchies where reigning monarchs are depicted on coins. Despite this norm, previous examples exist where living individuals have appeared on US currency, such as a 1921 coin honoring Alabama’s first governor, a 1926 coin featuring Washington and Coolidge, a 1995 coin for the Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and a 2016 coin for Ronald and Nancy Reagan. There is also a recent example from Liberia, which in 2025 produced a coin depicting Trump as a Roman emperor, but such instances are rare and often limited to commemorative or special purpose coins. Overall, while there is some historical precedence and legal latitude for a Trump coin, such a move would break with long-standing tradition and could provoke political or public debate, but legally, it appears feasible under current legislation unless Congress explicitly blocks it.