Trump Scraps Civil Rights Coins, May Put His Own Face on a Dollar Instead

New Quarters Honor Founding Fathers Over Civil Rights

The U.S. Mint just revealed what America’s 250th birthday coins will look like, and they’re nothing like what advisory committees spent years designing.

Gone are the quarters featuring Frederick Douglass, suffragettes carrying “Votes for Women” banners, and six-year-old Ruby Bridges integrating her school.

In their place: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, and pilgrims on the Mayflower.

Meanwhile, the Treasury is also considering a $1 coin featuring Trump’s own face, which would make him only the second living president ever on U.S. coinage. The last time that happened, it was a disaster.

Advisory Panels Designed Coins for Years

Two official committees spent years developing coin designs for America’s 250th anniversary.

The final recommendations included a dime with a “Liberty Over Tyranny” design and five quarters representing the Declaration of Independence, U. S. Constitution, Abolitionism, Suffrage, and Civil Rights.

The original dime and half-dollar images remained unchanged in the officially accepted designs unveiled on December 10, 2025. However, all quarter designs were changed.

The Treasury Secretary has final approval over coin designs, and he used that power to reject almost everything the panels recommended.

Frederick Douglass and Ruby Bridges Cut

The panel recommended an abolition of slavery coin featuring Frederick Douglass on the front. A hand and arm breaking free of chains were on the back.

The Civil Rights coin would have shown Ruby Bridges as a six-year-old girl, carrying her schoolbooks close to her chest as she integrated an elementary school in New Orleans in 1960.

The back of the coin showed Civil Rights marchers locked arm-in-arm. None of these designs made it to the final version.

Women’s Suffrage Quarter Also Rejected

The women’s suffrage coin would have shown a woman carrying a banner calling for “Votes for Women.”

The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 calls for a series of five quarter designs, including one depicting women’s contributions to independence. That law passed both chambers of Congress unanimously.

Trump himself signed the legislation his final week of his first term in January 2021. Yet his Treasury Department rejected the suffrage coin anyway.

New Quarters Feature Men Already on Money

The designs primarily honored a more traditional view of U.S. history: George Washington for the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, James Madison and the Constitution, Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address, as well as pilgrims to celebrate the Mayflower Compact.

Washington already features on the $1 note, Jefferson features on the nickel, Lincoln features on the penny, and Madison features on the 2007-2016 presidential $1 coin series. All five quarters will bear dual dates: 1776 and 2026.

Treasury Cites Patriotism Over Diversity

“While the Biden administration and Secretary Yellen remained focused on DEI and Critical Race Theory policies, the Trump administration is dedicated to fostering prosperity and patriotism,” Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement.

No official explanation for these changes were provided during the U. S. Mint’s design unveiling event.

“The designs on these historic coins depict the story of America’s journey toward a ‘more perfect union,’ and celebrate America’s defining ideals of liberty,” said acting Mint Director Kristie McNally.

Trump May Put His Own Face on $1 Coin

The Treasury released draft images of a $1 commemorative coin featuring Trump’s face that the U.S. Mint is preparing for the 250th anniversary.

Trump’s profile is featured on the “heads” side of the coin.

The U. S. Mint issued three different proposed coins with different likenesses of Trump, including one resembling his famous mug shot from 2023. A final design has not yet been selected.

Draft Coin Shows Assassination Attempt Pose

On the “tails” side, one draft design features Trump with his fist raised, standing in front of an American flag.

The image closely resembles the scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, when Trump defiantly raised his fist after a gunman attempted to assassinate him.

However, U.S. law prohibits images of living people on the backs of coins.

The U. S. Mint told CNN there is no such restriction on the front of coins.

Living Presidents on Coins Break Tradition

The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco notes that to avoid the appearance of a monarchy, it was long-standing tradition to only feature portraits of deceased individuals on currency and coin. It’s been U.

S. law since 1866 that living people can’t be on paper currency.

Still, Trump’s coin will only be the second time a U. S.

coin features a living president. Democrats in Congress are trying to stop it from happening.

The Coolidge Coin Was a Historic Flop

The first living president on a coin was Calvin Coolidge on a half-dollar issued in 1926 to mark the country’s 150th anniversary.

Although six million people visited the Exposition, 859,408 of the 1,000,000 half dollars were returned to the mint for melting.

Calvin Coolidge holds the distinction of being the only living president to appear on a United States coin until now. If the Trump coin moves forward, history suggests it may not be popular.

Democrats Introduce Bill to Block Trump Coin

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto introduced the Change Corruption Act to prevent any living or sitting U.S. President from being featured on any U.S. currency.

“President Trump’s self-celebrating maneuvers are authoritarian actions worthy of dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, not the United States of America,” said Merkley.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is unlikely to schedule the bill for a vote anytime soon.

Penny Is Dead but Returns for Birthday

The U.S. Mint halted production of the one-cent coin following a February directive from Trump.

The final one-cent coins were minted in Philadelphia on November 12, 2025, after over 230 years in circulation.

Ironically, as part of the commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday, the Mint plans to issue a limited number of pennies once again next year, marking the years 1776-2026 on them.

Those pennies will be for collectors, not your pocket change.

Visiting the Philadelphia Mint, Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Mint is where the controversy gets made.

You can take a free, self-guided tour that lasts about 45 minutes, watching coining operations from 40 feet above the factory floor. Tours run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. , with Saturday hours added during summer.

No reservations needed. The Mint is located at 151 N. Independence Mall East, steps from the Liberty Bell and Constitution Center. Bring a photo ID and leave your camera in the car because photography is not allowed inside.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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