Trump's God Complex: Shall We Coin The President?

Within the week of the U.S. Mint issuing the U.S. dime marking the country’s 250th anniversary with the absence of the olive branch from its usual design, a Trump-appointed panel has now approved a 24 karat gold coin bearing the image of the President himself. 

Both moves have drawn criticism for their deeply undemocratic undertones, with the latter potentially illegal as U.S. federal law bars living presidents from appearing on American currency.

All that glitters is not gold

It is not merely the audacity of these decisions that has generated concern. In just the first term of his presidency, the world has already witnessed the “Trumpification” of American politics and its global implications. What is striking now is the symbolism and timing of these moves, which appear to signal a carefully orchestrated extension of Trump’s America First agenda.

The first strike came with Operation Epic Fury— the ongoing US-Israel military attack on Iran. The name of this operation stands out as it sways away from the virtue-signalling operation code names that the US adopts. Operation Just Cause, Uphold Democracy and Provide Comfort, at least on the name basis, indicated the American ideals of liberty and righteousness. As with many US presidents who presided over wars, Donald Trump may yet wear the Iran conflict as a badge of honour. But unlike those earlier campaigns, this one, if its name is any indication, seems driven by rage.

To mark 250 years of the United States, a new dime quietly drops the olive branch—the oldest emblem of peace. This stylistic choice should be understood in the context that ever since returning as President on January 7, he withdrew the US from 66 international organisations, including the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organisation and other global bodies that contribute to world peace. He deemed that these campaigns were not aligned with “American Interests” or were “a waste of the taxpayer's dollar”. 

Now comes the latest move, which seems to embody both the previously cited faults: the US Mint has approved the commemorative coin with Trump’s face. The gold coin features the President in a pose that can only be described as illustrating his own “epic fury” as he stands with his fists resting on top of what is supposed to be a desk. The lettering on the top half of the coin spells “LIBERTY” in a slight arc. Directly underneath that are the dates 1776-2026. The words “IN GOD WE TRUST” are at the bottom, with seven stars on one side of the coin and six stars on the other side.

It is against federal law, as no living president can appear on U.S. currency. Until now, Calvin Coolidge is the only other US president to have featured on a coin in his lifetime. Nonetheless, a federal arts commission approved of the dime and was granted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's authority and discretion to mint and issue proof gold coins.

In the same coin as Gaddafi?

Even globally, placing living political leaders on currency is uncommon in democracies. 

The practice is more typical in monarchies, where reigning sovereigns appear on coins, or in authoritarian systems where currency is used to project political authority. For instance, coins and notes in North Korea feature members of the Kim dynasty, while Muammar Gaddafi appeared on Libyan currency during his rule in Libya. 

Similarly, in India, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on its centenary, was presented with a commemorative coin and special postal stamp that has the first-ever representation of Bharat Mata on Indian currency. This coin, too, however, did not present a living leader; instead, it was adorned with a picture of Bharat Mata with a lion in Varada Mudra on the other, with swayamsevaks bowing to her in adoration and commitment.

These examples, however, are exceptions rather than the norm in modern republics.

In the United States, the norm is even stricter. Federal law bars living presidents from appearing on U.S. currency, a convention meant to prevent personality cults and keep national symbols politically neutral. Historically, figures like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln appeared on coins and notes only after their deaths. 

The newly approved 24-karat commemorative coin bearing the likeness of Trump, meant to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, therefore breaks with long-standing precedent. Even if issued in limited numbers, the move stands out precisely not just because such a gesture has rarely been attempted in the United States, but it also reveals a God-complex in Trump, as the words “IN GOD WE TRUST” are engraved below his picture.

It seems that Trump’s America is no longer only at war with Iran, as these symbolic moves of the President continue to pile up and paint a picture of an America that wavers from its democratic ideals. Coins that proclaim “liberty” now circulate alongside gestures that appear to narrow its meaning.

The president who once spoke eagerly of a Nobel Peace Prize may instead be remembered for abandoning the olive branch—replacing it, on the nation’s 250th anniversary, with his own likeness.