Did the White House announce that the U.S. Treasury would produce official one dollar coins bearing President Donald Trump's face? No, that's not true: There is no record or reporting of any such announcement by the White House on its website or by President Trump on his Truth Social account. The U.S. Treasurer replied to a post on X that included a "first draft" of a Trump coin design, saying it was a real "first draft." Any proposal for a Trump coin in 2026 would need approval from Congress, since there are two current laws that prohibit the image of a living former president or current president being used on U.S. currency.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) shared by the @CalltoActivism account on X on October 3, 2025. The post read:
🚨MAJOR BREAKING: The White House has announced the US Treasury will be producing $1 coins with President Trump's face.
The only problem? It's completely ILLEGAL. Only portraits of deceased individuals are allowed on currency: 31 U.S. Code § 5114.
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of X.com)
The White House website's "briefing and statements" page (archived here) and President Trump's Truth Social account (archived here), often the first place for Trump administration announcements, showed no such announcement about a Trump coin as of Sunday evening, Oct. 4, 2025.
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, who oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Mint, posted a reply (archived here) to a post (archived here) by political consultant Steve Guest that included an image of the "first drafts" of a coin proposed for release in 2026. Beach wrote:
No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America's 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real.
Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over.
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of X.com)
As stated in the X post by @CalltoActivism, federal law currently allows only "a deceased individual" on U.S. currency. That provision can be found on page 400 of 31 U.S.C. §5114 (archived here). It reads:
(b) United States currency has the inscription ''In God We Trust'' in a place the Secretary decides is appropriate. Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities. The name of the individual shall be inscribed below the portrait.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of govinfo.gov)
While the U.S. Mint can draft coin designs, congressional approval would be required before an official Trump coin could be produced. In fact, there is already a law on the books that would likely result in a coin honoring President Trump -- but only after his death. The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 (archived here) established a program to honor each president with $1 coins featuring their images. A provision on page 4 of this law limits these coins to former presidents who have been dead at least two years:
(E) LIMITATION IN SERIES TO DECEASED PRESIDENTS.-- No coin issued under this subsection may bear the image of a living former or current President, or of any deceased former President during the 2-year period following the date of the death of that President.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of govinfo.gov)
The program began in 2007 with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. There have been 40 presidential dollars minted under this program, the last being released in 2020 to honor President George H. W. Bush, who died in 2018.
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of usmint.gov)
Unless Congress changes the law, the next president to be honored with a $1 coin will be Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29, 2024.
