A federal commission composed of members appointed by Trump voted Thursday to approve a 24-karat commemorative gold coin depicting the president in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The Commission of Fine Arts approved the design with a picture of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, 1776 on one side and 2026 on the other.
The gold coin still needs official approval from the Treasury, which takes into account the positions of both the Commission on Fine Arts and the Citizens’ Coinage Advisory Committee, a federal panel with a wide range of members.
The New York Times reported last month on opposition to the gold coin from committee members. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.
The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, signed into law shortly before the end of Trump’s first term, states that the Treasury “may issue $1 dollar coins with symbolic designs of the US Semiquincentennial during a one-year period beginning January 1, 2026.”
The gold coin comes on the heels of a slew of jokes from the president in recent weeks, during which he wished he could “take credit” for the 250th anniversary.
“In my first term, I got the Olympics. In my first term, I got the World Cup. And then I said, I wonder if anybody would notice if I said I got 250 years,” Trump said at a White House event on Tuesday, which he said “didn’t do well.”
Trump has taken other steps to impose his name or likeness on parts of the federal government, such as affixing his name to both the Kennedy Center and the US Institute of Peace.
This is not the first time Trump has been associated with the coin. He launched the $TRUMP meme coin during this period and held a private dinner with 220 crypto investors in May that cost $1 million to attend. The dinner will bring together Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill like Wyoming’s Sen. Cynthia raised Lummis’ concerns.
America250 Grand Prix – Trump has been involved with various projects to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, including an IndyCar race through the streets of Washington.
