U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House to attend his meme coin gala at the Trump National Golf Club, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

By Costas Pitas and Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Treasury on Friday released a draft design for a $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump to commemorate 250 years since the declaration of American independence in 2026.

The front of the potential design showed Trump in profile with the word "liberty" above him and "1776-2026" below, according to images shared by Treasurer Brandon Beach on X and subsequently released by Treasury.

The other side of the coin showed Trump holding a raised clenched fist framed with the words "fight, fight, fight" - a reference to what he said immediately after surviving an assassination attempt last year - and a flag in the background.

DEBATE ON DESIGN'S LEGALITY

"While a final $1 dollar coin design has not yet been selected to commemorate the United States' semiquincentennial, this first draft reflects well the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, even in the face of immense obstacles," a Treasury spokesperson said in a statement.

Beach said on X that more information would be shared following the end of the government shutdown, which has suspended many federal operations while lawmakers remain at an impasse over a new spending bill.

Congress in 2020 passed a law that allows the Treasury Secretary to mint $1 coins in 2026 "with designs emblematic of the U.S. semiquincentennial."

Debate quickly erupted on social media about the proposed coin, given that the law specifically says "no head and shoulders portrait or bust of any person, living or dead, and no portrait of a living person may be included in the design on the reverse of any coin" created to mark the U.S. anniversary.

The proposed design features a wider illustration of Trump on the reverse side, a move that legal experts said would fall outside the ban on a "head and shoulders portrait or bust."

An 1866 law mandates that no living person's portrait can be used on U.S. currency, but that refers to paper money produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Coins are minted by the U.S. Mint.

One provision of an earlier law on coinage, first passed in 1792 and amended repeatedly by Congress, prohibits depiction of a living current or former president, but that passage applies to $1 coins minted specifically to honor each of the U.S. presidents, not issued for other reasons, such as the country's 250th anniversary.

To mark the 1976 bicentennial celebrations, the Treasury sponsored a national competition and picked for the $1 coin a design by a sculpture student featuring the Liberty Bell, a symbol of American independence, and the moon.

The other side of the coin showed former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who died in 1969 and became the first president to feature on a $1 coin in 1971.

Asked on Friday whether Trump had seen the draft coin design, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, "I'm not sure if he's seen it, but I'm sure he'll love it."

(Reporting by Costas Pitas and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Ross Colvin and Rosalba O'Brien)