Senate Democrats urge Treasury Department to stop production of gold coins featuring Trump's image
WASHINGTON, DC: Another of Donald Trump's ambitious plans to celebrate America's 250th anniversary appears to have encountered a fresh roadblock.
Two Senate Democrats on Thursday, June 04, wrote to the US Mint to urge the institution to halt production of gold coins with President Donald Trump on them.
The design of the 24-karat gold coin, which would depict the President leaning on a desk with clenched fists and be up to three inches in diameter, was approved in March by a federal advisory panel with members handpicked by Trump.
Approval of the gold coin followed a broader debate over featuring Trump on a new $250 banknote, even though US law prohibits a living individual from appearing on currency.
Democrats urge production halt over illegal gold
Sens Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) and Ron Wyden (Oregon), the top Democrats on the Senate Banking and Finance committees, respectively, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Mint Director Paul Hollis, requesting to halt the coin’s production, citing reports that the gold purchased by the Mint to make coins was sourced from illegal mining operations.
This came as The New York Times reported that portions of America's gold supply chain trace back to foreign sources, including Colombian mines allegedly controlled by drug cartels and pawn shops in Peru and Mexico.
The gold has been sourced from other countries for years, across Democratic and Republican administrations, according to the Times.
"We request that the U.S. Mint halt all production of the 250th anniversary 24-karat Trump gold coin and conduct a public supply chain audit to ensure coins are not composed of illicit cartel-linked gold," Warren and Wyden wrote in the letter viewed by the Washington Post.
"We have previously raised concerns about the Mint's plan to release a 24-karat gold coin featuring President Trump's image for the country's 250th anniversary and how it will in any way benefit the American public as our nation confronts an affordability crisis of President Trump's own making,” it continued.
The senators requested answers to six questions by June 18, seeking details on the coin's production status and the steps taken to verify the origin of the gold used in its manufacturing.
US government rolls out $250 bill with Trump's face
The Democrats’ letter came as the Trump administration has been making efforts to roll out a new $250 bill that could feature a portrait of him.
Federal law bars printing US money with the image of a living person, but Trump allies in Congress have introduced legislation that would make an exception.
A Treasury Department spokesperson told the BBC that the agency is carrying out "appropriate planning and due diligence" as it evaluates the proposal.
Supporters of the measure argue that the $250 denomination would serve as a tribute to America's 250th anniversary.
However, over a quarter of President Trump's MAGA loyalists don't want the Treasury to print $250 bills with his face on them, according to a new YouGov poll.
