‘Added the ‘orange cake’: Like him or not, Donald Trump’s face may soon be on your pocket change

On Friday, October 3, 2025, U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach shared draft renderings of a proposed $1 coin to mark America’s 250th birthday — and yes, the images feature Donald Trump on both sides.

Beach’s X post reads: “No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real. Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over,” referring to the ongoing government shutdown.

On one side of the count, the mock-ups show a profile of Trump beneath the inscription “LIBERTY” and the dates 1776–2026, framed by “In God We Trust.” The reverse displays him with a raised fist in front of an American flag, surrounded by the repeated slogan “FIGHT • FIGHT • FIGHT.”

One commenter quipped, “lol, I like how you added the orange cake on his face even though the coin has no color. It’s the little details that matter.” Another shot back: “It’s illegal to put living people on currency. What do you know that we don’t know?”

The legal obstacle

The notion that it is illegal to feature living individuals on U.S. currency is rooted in both law and longstanding tradition. In 1866, Congress passed a statute prohibiting the portrayal or likeness of any living person on U.S. paper currency, bonds, or securities. This also covers coinage: U.S. law states that coin designs may not include “a portrait of a living person.”

Some exceptions are occasionally discussed in theory. For example, commemorative coins require Congressional authorization, and the final designs undergo review. Even so, when Congress authorizes special coins, the Mint follows Treasury and statutory guidance not to depict living people.

In short, it is illegal. There’s no legal path to put a living person’s portrait on U.S. money without Congress explicitly rewriting or overriding the law. According to critics, depicting a living person—particularly a sitting or former president—would defy long-standing norms, designed to prevent the rise of a personality cult or the trappings of monarchy.

The “Gavin Newsom version”

Meanwhile, a cheeky copy circulated on social media shows an alternate version of the 250th coin, replacing Trump’s portrait with that of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom, an outspoken Trump critic. The image was captioned: “The Gavin Newsom version of the 250th Anniversary was also leaked today… Way more glorious and majestic than the Trump version.” That mock version carries the same inscriptions and layout, but with Newsom’s face where Trump’s would go. The Newsom version is satire, but it captures how volatile coin design can become when politics mix with minting.