The U.S. Mint is preparing to produce a $1 commemorative coin that will feature the face of former President Donald Trump. This initiative marks the latest in a series of items associated with the Trump administration that have incorporated his name and image.
The plan has faced opposition from several lawmakers. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), released a joint statement expressing concern. "The fact that Treasury officials have reportedly pursued this effort despite serious legal objections only raises more concerns about Treasury’s misplaced priorities and disregard for our current laws," the senators wrote.
In December, Senators Merkley and Cortez Masto introduced legislation aimed at blocking the minting of the commemorative coin featuring Trump. "While monarchs put their faces on coins, America has never had and never will have a king," Cortez Masto stated at the time.
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) also voiced criticism of the coin. Massie, who has publicly disagreed with Trump on various issues and recently lost a primary challenge to a Trump-backed candidate, commented on social media, "Congratulations, we’ve entered the end stages. Eliminate the penny, plug the nickel, and make some commemorative gold coins nobody can afford. I feel sorry for the folks who will be sold worthless knockoffs of this by the usual grifters."