Commentary: Featuring Trump on US coins and bills would put America in rare company

The United States Mint is preparing to release $1 coins bearing the likeness of President Donald Trump as part of the commemoration of the nation's 250th anniversary. This initiative, intended to honor the president, has sparked debate about its appropriateness and implications for American political culture.

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President Trump’s self-celebrating manoeuvres are authoritarian actions worthy of dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has defended the idea, stating he sees nothing "untoward" about it. However, critics like Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley have condemned the move, labeling such self-celebratory actions as "authoritarian" and comparable to those of dictators like Kim Jong Un.

An international relations professor specializing in currency iconography notes that featuring a living president on currency would be highly unusual globally. Data suggests the US would join very few nations, if any, in such a practice. The Trump administration has been notably active in placing the president's image and name on various national symbols, including federal buildings and park passes.

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I don’t think that there’s anything untoward.

Further actions by the administration have included recommendations for designs featuring Trump's head on commemorative coins and the historic decision to place the president's signature on newly printed paper dollars. The abrupt reassignment of the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing after she reportedly refused to advance a $250 bill with Trump's face highlights the administration's persistent efforts to incorporate the president's image onto US currency, despite existing laws against depicting living individuals on legal tender.

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The buck stopped here.