Residents of the United States may soon see the signature of US President Donald Trump on banknotes, while his portrait will be placed on a commemorative coin.
This decision has raised the question of whether this constitutes a violation of federal law, which prohibits the depiction of living presidents on US currency.
On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the US Mint will issue commemorative one-dollar coins featuring Trump.
The US administration claims that this is permitted by a 2020 law, which gives the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue one-dollar coins “with motifs symbolizing the 250th anniversary of the United States.”
The coin will feature Trump’s current presidential portrait, rather than the design recommended by the Commission on Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump himself. The final decision was made by the Treasury Secretary.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, whose signature will also be on the banknotes, introduced the changes on the “Jesse Watters Primetime” show on Fox News and stated that Trump’s appearance on the currency is in accordance with the law.
Bessent also introduced the new $100 bills during the show. Trump’s signature is in the lower left corner, immediately above the signature of the Treasury Secretary. The Trump administration has long been trying to put the president’s image and signature on American currency, justifying this by marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The commemorative one-dollar coins differ from the 24-karat gold coins, which feature a different depiction of Trump.