The US Treasury on Wednesday issued $1 coins featuring President Donald Trump’s face, whilst the president simultaneously proposed renaming the Strait of Hormuz as “Trump Strait” in what marks an unprecedented campaign to put his personal stamp on national institutions.

The coins were minted to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States celebrated this year.

Currency law concerns

A roll of 25 $1 coins was made available for sale for $61 (R980), a mark-up of 144%, with a 100-coin bag available for $154.50 (R2 480).

When the Treasury announced the plan it was unclear if the coins would have monetary value or would be purely commemorative, but on Wednesday the US Mint said the coins were “also in circulation.”

The move to put Trump’s countenance on a coin with monetary value runs counter to federal law that says no living president may appear on US currency.

The new coin features Trump’s face on one side, with the words “Liberty” and “In God We Trust.” It also features the dates 1776-2026, marking 250 years of US independence.

The other side of the coin features a version of the US presidential seal, depicting an eagle clutching arrows and an olive branch whilst covered by a shield that says “250.”

Latest geographical renaming

On the same day, the 80-year-old Trump (80) suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz despite the crucial waterway remaining contested amid the ongoing war with Iran.

“Now that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before!” Trump posted on his Truth Social network.

The proposal marks the latest in a series of geographical name changes floated by the president. A week earlier, he ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America” during an escalating trade war with Canada.

Trump also renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” on his first day back in office in January 2025. Neither Mexico nor Canada have accepted the changes.

Pattern of institutional changes

Trump has aggressively defied precedent and legal challenges in his push to remake US institutions in his second term, putting his name on the Kennedy Center for the Arts and demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for a new ballroom, among other moves.

The $1 coin is just the latest in Trump’s campaign to put his face and name on US currency. In May, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said his department was pursuing a plan to issue a new $250 bill with Trump’s face on it. He conceded that the move would require Congress to change the law barring living persons from appearing on currency.

In March, the Treasury announced that US paper money would soon bear Trump’s signature, another first for a sitting US president.

Trump has pressed threats to claim sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, posting a map showing the waterway as a “new US territory.”

Iran has effectively shut down the chokepoint in retaliation for the war Trump started alongside Israel in late February. A fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait.

Oil prices are rising again after US forces launched fresh strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, responding to what Trump described as new minelaying efforts by Iran.

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