【Text by Observer Net, Zhang Jingjuan】 Recently, the U.S. Treasury proposed minting a one-dollar commemorative coin to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026, but the plan has been deemed invalid due to potential violations of existing laws.

According to a report from The Washington Post on the 3rd, U.S. Treasury official Brandon Beach publicly confirmed the authenticity of the design sketches. On the same day, White House spokesperson Levitt was asked about whether Trump had seen the draft design of the commemorative coin and said, "I'm not sure if he has seen it, but I believe he will like it."

From the content of the sketch, the commemorative coin features Trump's image on both sides. One side will show Trump's profile, with the words "Freedom" and "We believe in God," as well as the years "1776" and "2026," which symbolize the span of the nation's founding; the other side shows Trump standing with his right hand raised in a fist in front of the American flag, with the text "Fight, fight, fight." The design seems to be inspired by the assassination attempt against Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024.

Beach posted on the social platform "X" confirming that these preliminary proposals, intended to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and honor President Trump, are genuine. "Once the government shutdown issue is resolved, we will share more information as soon as possible."

The report stated that a spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury, who did not want to reveal their name, said that these design drawings are merely "preliminary drafts," and the final design has not yet been determined.

Design Sketch Social Platform "X"

In fact, the plan has already been legally unsound. According to a law passed in 2020, the U.S. Treasury may mint a one-dollar commemorative coin to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026, but it explicitly requires that the design "must reflect the symbolic significance of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States." More importantly, current U.S. law prohibits the depiction of portraits of living presidents on circulating currency. Only the portraits of deceased presidents can be printed on currency, which is to maintain the stability and continuity of the currency. If the coins are mass-produced, they may face legal disputes.

Professor Anthony Michael Kreis of the Georgia State University College of Law stated that the 250th anniversary commemorative coin still falls within the scope of legal currency. The provision in the U.S. Code that "prohibits the portrait of a living person from appearing on currency" does not apply differently based on whether it is paper money, ordinary coins, or special commemorative coins.

Kreis further pointed out that the Trump camp might try to stretch the requirement of "reflecting the significance of the founding commemoration" by mentioning the two years "1776" and "2026," but this approach is essentially baseless: "No matter what excuse they find, it is either a clear violation of the law or a distortion of the law's intent... the idea of having the portrait of a living person on currency is inherently contradictory to American values."

It is worth noting that the United States has had precedents of issuing presidential commemorative coins, but they strictly adhere to the "deceased" principle. In 2005, the Presidential $1 Coin Act signed by former President George W. Bush explicitly stipulated that the president involved in the commemorative coin must have been deceased for at least two years. The U.S. Mint later issued a series of commemorative coins according to this, until the program was suspended in 2011.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7557233856333447714/

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