Donald Trump has become the first living US president to appear on a $1 coin, with the US Mint's initial batch selling out within four hours of release. US Treasurer Brandon Beech said the administration had originally wanted Trump's portrait on a $250 bill to mark America's 250th anniversary but abandoned that plan when it emerged legislation would be needed, opting instead to use existing authority to issue a coin. The move has proved popular among Trump supporters but has also triggered political criticism and a legal challenge over the propriety of depicting a sitting president on currency.

The Mint struck nine million coins, made from copper, zinc, manganese and nickel, with 8.75 million initially offered for sale in pre-release rolls of 25 for $61 and bags of 100 for $154.50, well above face value. A special batch of 250,000 bearing a "July 4th" mark is already reselling online for hundreds of dollars. Beech said the coins should reach banks as ordinary legal tender within a month, while Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has condemned the coin as contrary to democratic values and backed legislation to bar living presidents from currency, alongside a separate legal challenge alleging the coin breaches federal law.