Deathly design gaffe spotted as Trump coin goes on sale to deluge of derision

The U.S. Mint began selling its new $1 coin stamped with President Donald Trump's face on Wednesday, and the internet instantly ridiculed the launch.

The coin, gold-colored but struck from base metal, sells in 25-coin rolls for $61 and 100-coin bags for $154.50 as part of the Mint's series marking America's 250th birthday. The Mint told buyers to "check your pocket change," noting the dollars are "also in circulation."

But internet detectives quickly zeroed in on the fuzzy economics of the coin, as well as the ominous implication etched into it.

"Deal of the century right here folks," wrote The Bulwark's Sam Stein. "You can purchase 25, $1 Trump coins for the price of.... $61."

The Bulwark's Catherine Rampell homed in on the "1776 ~ 2026" dual date.

"I like that this design appears to show the birth date of liberty as 1776, and its death as 2026," she quipped. Progressive media group MeidasTouch quote-posted the Mint's announcement with a one-word review: "Accurate," also pointing to the curious birth and death dates of liberty.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) used the rollout to bash the administration's economic record, ticking off rising gas, grocery and utility costs.

"[T]rump and Republicans have mismanaged the American economy," he wrote, pointing to prices at the pump and the checkout line. "So what are trump and Republicans focused on? See below. November is coming." He added a jab at the portrait: "(Also, why is trump wearing a wig)?"

Conservative writer David Frum pointed out a glaring historical comparison.

"The Caesars and Napoleon won some wars before stamping their images on the coinage of their fallen republics," he wrote.

Trump is only the second U.S. president depicted on a coin during his lifetime, after Calvin Coolidge on a 1926 commemorative half dollar. Critics have decried that the design flouts federal law barring living people from U.S. currency, but a federal court declined to block it. The administration said the 2020 law authorizing the 250th-anniversary coins makes it legal.