The U.S. Mint on Wednesday released a gold-colored $1 coin bearing 
Donald Trump's likeness to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary. The Mint put 250,000 of the coins up for purchase at noon, and its website showed them sold out within hours, The Hill reported.
What does the coin show? Trump's visage forms the "heads" side, PBS NewsHour reported, with "LIBERTY" in an arc above his face and "1776" and "2026" below it. The Great Seal of the United States is on the "tails" side, where a bald eagle grips arrows in one claw and an olive branch in the other and holds a banner in its beak reading "E PLURIBUS UNUM," Latin for "out of many, one." The design received approval this year from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members Trump appointed. The portrait, designed by Mint Chief Engraver Joseph Menna, was inspired by an official White House photo by Daniel Torok, The Hill reported.
Why has it drawn criticism? The coins, which can be used as legal tender, drew some criticism, PBS NewsHour reported, particularly because federal law bars the depiction of a living president on U.S. currency. In some circumstances, however, the Treasury Secretary does have authority to authorize the minting and issuance of special coins. Trump has said in past comments that the idea to stamp his face on a coin was "very unusual" but that he was "honored by it." His second term has brought several such brandings, or attempts at them, that have become tangled up in lawsuits, including moves to put his name on the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Institute of Peace.
How are the coins being sold? The administration advertised the coins as an opportunity to "own a piece of American History," The Hill reported, with a 25-coin roll priced at $61. A bag of 100 costs $154.50, PBS NewsHour reported, and the Mint said it had randomly hidden some special-issue coins among the rolls and bags, marked "July 4th" because they were struck on that day, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Households were limited to two orders, a cap the Mint said would be lifted at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
