Donald Trump's portrait has appeared on a US coin - the latest move by the President of the United States (US) to leave his personal mark on American institutions, the British media outlet BBC reports today.
On Wednesday, the US Mint unveiled a one-dollar coin featuring Trump's portrait, along with the words "Freedom" and "In God We Trust", to mark the 250th anniversary of the US.
The mint said the coins, which are sold as collectibles, will not be released into circulation for everyday use.
The law prohibits living presidents from appearing on U.S. currency, but a design provision in the anniversary legislation was used to circumvent the ban.
The coins - priced at $61 for a roll of 25 and $154,50 for a bag of 100 - were marked as "currently unavailable" on the mint's website just hours after sales began, but it said new quantities were being produced.
The coins were also sold in vending machines at the United States Mint store in Washington.
The BBC has contacted the US Mint, the Treasury Department and the White House for additional information.
The coin was "created to commemorate this historic national milestone," with "a once-in-a-generation anniversary design that will become a striking addition to contemporary collections," the U.S. Mint said.
The coins are gold-colored, but they do not contain any real gold. According to the United States Mint, they are made up of 88,5 percent copper, with the rest made up of zinc, nickel, and an outer layer of brass with manganese.
Although they have not been put into circulation, they can be used as legal tender to settle debts and taxes, although federal law stipulates that companies can decide for themselves whether to accept them, according to the BBC.
In May, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant said his department planned to issue a new $250 bill featuring President Trump.
Besant then pointed out that it had happened before that the image of a president who was still alive had been found on American money.
The half-dollar coin, issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the United States in 1926, featured then-President Calvin Coolidge.
The Trump administration also invoked the Circulating Collectible Coins Redesign Act of 2020, passed during Trump's first term.
While the law prohibits portraits of living persons on the reverse of coins, it does not specifically cover the obverse of the coin, which features Trump's image on the new one-dollar coins.
In March, the Treasury Department announced that US banknotes would soon bear Trump's signature — another precedent for a sitting US president.
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