Trump's $1 coin enters circulation in century-old first

The US Mint announced Wednesday that new $1 coins featuring President Donald Trump have entered circulation, making him the first living US president to appear on a circulating coin.

The Mint, a bureau of the Treasury Department responsible for producing US coinage, said the coins were available for purchase.

“Available for purchase today at 12PM ET: 2026 President Donald J. Trump $1 Coin. These coins are also in circulation, so check your pocket change. Collect them today!' the Mint wrote on US social media platform X.

The obverse of the coin features a portrait of Trump along with the inscriptions 'LIBERTY,' 'IN GOD WE TRUST' and '1776 ~ 2026.'

The reverse features the Presidential Seal, depicting an eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows, with a shield bearing the number '250' to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence.

A banner in the eagle's beak bears the Latin motto: 'E PLURIBUS UNUM,' meaning 'Out of many, one.' The coin also carries the inscriptions 'UNITED STATES OF AMERICA' and 'ONE DOLLAR.'

The Mint said 250,000 Trump $1 coins were struck July 4 at the Philadelphia Mint with a special July 4th privy mark and randomly included in bags and rolls offered through its online catalog.

The coins are available through the US Mint at $61 for a 25-coin roll and $154.50 for a 100-coin bag.

The release is part of the US Semiquincentennial coin program commemorating 250 years since the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The only previous instance of a living US president appearing on US coinage came in 1926, when a commemorative silver half dollar marking the country's 150th anniversary featured President Calvin Coolidge alongside George Washington.

Critics have questioned the legality of featuring Trump on the coin, pointing to federal restrictions on depicting living people on US currency, and a longstanding tradition against placing sitting presidents on the nation's money.

The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, a bipartisan panel that advises the Treasury secretary on coin designs, declined to review an earlier Trump coin proposal. Some members warned that issuing the coin without the panel's review could violate federal law.