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.1
But Trump's regime has proven that they don't care about the law or precedent.
Attempting to enshrine Trump on U.S. currency is yet another example of this administration’s authoritarianism. Add your name NOW to make it clear: No Trump on U.S. currency!
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.2
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?
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.3 But a law passed in 1866 made it clear that no living person could appear on “bonds, securities, notes, fractional or postal currency."4 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.5
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.
Add your name to the petition to make it clear to the Treasury Department that we, the people, oppose breaking from the law and tradition by putting a living president on our currency!
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.6 But the department has since archived that information, removing the page from its website.7
The Trump administration is burying the history of why living people are restricted from appearing on U.S. currency. But we know the truth: In America, we have no kings, and living presidents should not be enshrined on our money.
Thanks for all you do.
–Aliya, Christina, Jensine, Ankur, and the rest of the team
P.S. On October 18, millions of people across the country will come together in what is gearing up to be the largest single day of protest in American history to send a huge message to Trump that the power belongs to the people and we won’t back down as he strips away our freedoms. RSVP to join a No Kings event in your community now!
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. Ibid.
3. "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
4. "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/
5. "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
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
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