Trump's Lackeys Shamelessly Approve Putting His Face on a Coin In Violation of America's Tradition Against King Worship

Ancient societies put the face of the king or the emperor on a coin, because that one man was the ultimate source of authority. In America, authority flows from the people, not from a king. So both in law and custom, we have long opposed putting the faces of current political leaders on our currency, only honoring them after their deaths. Donald Trump has ended this tradition.

The New York Times reports:

President Trump’s handpicked arts commission voted on Thursday to approve a commemorative, 24-karat gold coin bearing Mr. Trump’s image, brushing aside debate over whether the coin violates American tradition.

The coin, which is supposed to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary, shows Mr. Trump with his fists pressed against a desk and a glowering expression on his face. The back of the coin features an eagle.

It is one of at least three coins featuring Mr. Trump’s face, including a $1 coin that will circulate as currency, that the administration is planning….

Many of America’s founders, including George Washington, were fiercely against taking steps that would make its government officials appear like kings, and that included featuring them on the country’s coins. Only a handful of times in history have people been featured on US currency while they were alive.

The administration’s move to mint official coins with Mr. Trump’s face is also legally aggressive. An 1866 law called the Thayer Amendment states: “Only the portrait of a deceased individual may appear on United States currency and securities.”

“Legally aggressive” is yet another press euphemism for “blatantly illegal.” The last word on this should go to the chair of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Council, which refused to even consider this proposal: “If you issue a coin with a portrait of a sitting president, it will send a message that the sitting president is a king.”

The Executive Watch is a project of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism, and its flagship publication The UnPopulist, to track in an ongoing way the abuses of the power of the American presidency. It sorts these abuses into five categories: Personal Grift, Political Corruption, Presidential Retribution, Power Consolidation, and Policy Illegality. Click the category of interest to get an overview of all the abuses under it.

© The UnPopulist, 2026

Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X.