---
title: "Trump Is Not First President on a U.S. Coin, but First Living President on a Dollar Coin"
url: https://alitoday.com/trump-is-not-first-president-on-a-u-s-coin-but-first-living-president-on-a-dollar-coin/
date: 2026-09-08
modified: 2026-09-08
lang: en
author: "Alitoday"
description: "WASHINGTON D.C : President Donald Trump is the first sitting U.S. president to appear on a one-dollar coin, but he is not the first president ever depicted on a U.S...."
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Politics"
tags:
  - "america"
  - "Coin"
  - "Donald Trump"
  - "Trump"
  - "US"
  - "USA"
image: https://i0.wp.com/alitoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/converted-19.webp?fit=840%2C473&ssl=1
word_count: 358
---

# Trump Is Not First President on a U.S. Coin, but First Living President on a Dollar Coin

**WASHINGTON D.C** : President [Donald Trump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump) is the first sitting U.S. president to appear on a one-dollar coin, but he is not the first president ever depicted on a U.S. [coin](https://alitoday.com/tag/coin/).

On September 2, 2026, the U.S. Mint officially released a $1 coin featuring Trump's portrait to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The coin's obverse shows Trump's official White House portrait alongside the inscriptions 'LIBERTY,' 'IN GOD WE TRUST,' and the dates '1776-2026,' while the reverse displays the presidential seal and the number '250' .

The issuance of a coin bearing the likeness of a living president has drawn significant scrutiny. A federal law enacted in 1866 explicitly prohibits the portrayal of living individuals on U.S. currency.

To circumvent this restriction, the Trump administration utilized a provision in the 2020 Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act, which granted the Treasury Secretary authority to redesign dollar coins for the nation's semi-quincentennial celebration.

The law's prohibition on living portraits applies only to the reverse side of the coin, allowing the Treasury Secretary to place Trump's image on the obverse .

This is not the first time a sitting president has been featured on a U.S. coin. In 1926, President Calvin Coolidge appeared on the reverse of a half-dollar coin commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. However, Coolidge's portrait was placed behind a larger image of George Washington on that coin.

Additionally, numerous former presidents have been depicted on U.S. coinage, including the Presidential $1 Coin Program which began in 2007 and honored deceased presidents in order of their service.

The Mount Rushmore silver dollar, issued in 1991, also featured the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln .

[Donald Trump](https://alitoday.com/tag/donald-trump/) himself has stated he is 'honored' by the coin's release.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the coin's legality by citing the Coolidge precedent and the distinction between laws governing coins and those governing paper currency.

Critics, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, have denounced the coin as a self-serving use of national symbols while Americans struggle with living costs.

The U.S. Mint is selling rolls of 25 coins for $61 and bags of 100 for $154.50 .