Dear MoveOn member,
In the Trump administration’s latest attempt at kingmaking, the Treasury Department has proposed putting Trump’s face on a $1 coin. This is a MAJOR departure from precedent and law, which states that only deceased presidents can appear on our currency.1
This is yet another example of Trump’s self-aggrandizing behavior. While millions of families are on the brink of losing food assistance benefits and thousands of federal workers are missing paychecks, Trump is overseeing a $300 million renovation of the East Wing of the White House. Why? To build himself a 90,000-square-foot ballroom.2
Americans don’t want Trump tearing down the White House for his vanity projects—and we don’t want his face on our currency.3 Will you sign the petition telling the Treasury Department that we reject their plan?
Trump is using these projects to continue his authoritarian power grabs in D.C. He recently revealed plans to build an arch along the Potomac River—and, like his ballroom, the so-called “Arc de Trump” would be paid for via private donations from his supporters, raising serious ethical concerns.4,5
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s billionaire buddies (who benefit from his policies) are some of the top funders, with donations coming from Meta, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and many more.6
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Christina, Jensine, Ankur, and the rest of the team
P.S. See our earlier email below about the dangers of allowing the Treasury to break precedent and put Trump’s face on our currency.
Sources:
1. “Is it legal for Trump to put his picture on US Mint dollar coin?” Al Jazeera, October 8, 2025
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/8/is-it-legal-for-trump-to-put-his-picture-on-us-mint-dollar-coin
2. “Americans largely oppose Trump tearing down White House East Wing to make way for his ballroom: Poll,” ABC News, October 30, 2025
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/americans-largely-oppose-trump-tearing-white-house-east/story?id=126993522
3. Ibid.
4. “What we know about White House plans for an ‘Arc de Trump,'” BBC, October 16, 2025
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7e8lv176go
5. “Senate Democrats demand ‘complete accounting’ of Trump’s ballroom donors,” The Hill, October 29, 2025
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5578740-senate-democrats-trump-ballroom-donors/
6. “White House releases list of donors for Trump’s multi-million-dollar ballroom,” CNN, October 23, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/ballroom-donors-white-house-trump
Will you sign the petition telling the Treasury Department NO to minting Trump on U.S. currency?
Dear MoveOn member,
Rarely in U.S. history have living presidents minted their image on U.S. currency—let alone a sitting president. The last time was nearly a century ago.
But, unsurprisingly, the Trump administration wants to change that.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has unveiled plans for a commemorative coin bearing Trump’s profile to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The plan could be violation of a century-old law that specifies only the deceased can appear on U.S. currency—a law specifically put in place to distinguish the U.S. from monarchies.7
But Trump’s regime has proven that they don’t care about the law or precedent.
It gets worse. Initial renderings of the coin feature Trump’s profile on the front, and on the back, a rendering of him pumping his fist in the air with the U.S. flag in the background. The words “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT” at the top.8
Trump is acting like a dictator, and he wants to be treated like one. From rolling tanks through Washington, D.C., on his birthday to entertaining having his face etched into Mount Rushmore, Trump’s ego-fueled attempts to immortalize himself are a flagrant display of authoritarianism and must be stopped.
During his first term, Trump delayed putting freedom fighter and activist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. Now he has the gall to put himself on U.S. currency. Will you add your name to the petition to show your opposition?
Tell Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Do NOT put Donald Trump on U.S. currency!
This isn’t the first time Trump and MAGA Republicans have tried to enshrine Trump on U.S. currency. Multiple members of Congress have introduced bills to put Trump’s face on bills.9 But a law passed in 1866 made it clear that no living person could appear on “bonds, securities, notes, fractional or postal currency.”10 Time and time again, Trump shows us that he thinks (and acts) like he is above the law.
So while the U.S. has banned putting living people on paper money, the law doesn’t specifically mention coins. The Trump administration is trying to exploit that loophole, along with the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, in order to justify this flagrant glorification of Trump.11
It’s egregious that while Trump is sowing chaos and disorder across the country—weaponizing the U.S. military against the people and sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into cities to terrorize communities and kidnap people off the street—the government is trying to immortalize him on our currency. The coin will not be released until next year, so we still have time to unite and demonstrate the widespread outrage NOW to stop the Treasury Department from moving forward with their plans.
It appears that even the Trump administration knows that it is trying to contort the law and balk at tradition.
The Treasury’s website used to detail the origins of the 1866 act—put in place after the chief of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Spencer Clark, put himself on a five-cent note.12 But the department has since archived that information, removing the page from its website.13
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Christina, Jensine, Ankur, and the rest of the team
Sources:
7. “Is it legal for Trump to put his picture on US Mint dollar coin?” Al Jazeera, October 8, 2025
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/8/is-it-legal-for-trump-to-put-his-picture-on-us-mint-dollar-coin
8. Ibid.
9. “Full List of GOP Bills to Put Trump’s Name or Face on Things,” Newsweek, July 28, 2025
https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-gop-efforts-put-trumps-name-face-things-2105146
10. “Trump wants his face on a US dollar coin. History, not law, stands in the way,” Poynter, October 9, 2025
https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2025/is-trump-going-to-be-on-a-coin/
11. “Treasury Defends Lawfulness of Minting a $1 Trump Coin,” The New York Times, October 6, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/us/politics/treasury-trump-coin.html
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
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