Bessent Unveils New $1 Gold Coin Featuring Trump’s Face

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday unveiled new photos of a proposed $1 gold coin featuring President Trump to commemorate America's 250th anniversary.

Why it matters: Trump's interest in reshaping U.S. currency reflects a broader effort by his administration to leave his imprint on federal symbols and institutions.
Driving the news: Bessent shared a first-look photo Wednesday of a gold coin featuring Trump's face as a way "to honor the enduring legacy of liberty and a lasting symbol of patriotism."

"Featuring President Trump, it celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all," Bessent wrote on X.
Yes, but: Federal law bars putting living people's faces on U.S. coins.

The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 only permits $1 coins honoring deceased presidents.
The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 prohibits any portraits of living people on the "tails" side of a coin.
Similarly, 31 U.S. Code § 5112 states that no coins shall be made that "bear the image of a living former or current President," or any dead president within two years of their death.
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
The other side: The Treasury Department argued last October that the coin can be released under the CCCRA because it allows for "designs emblematic of the United States semiquincentennial."

How it works: Congress authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce coins, while the Treasury secretary approves coin designs and issuance, according to the U.S. Mint.

Fun fact: Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, issued a half-dollar coin in 1926 that included himself and George Washington to commemorate America's 150th anniversary, according to the U.S. Mint.