By Evaristo Lara
The senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, top Democrats on the Senate Banking and Finance committees, called on the Trump administration to halt production of a 24-karat gold coin to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. with the peculiarity of having the face of President Donald Trump engraved.
The argument that supports their request is related to the possibility that the gold to mint said currency could be linked to foreign cartels.
“At a minimum, the Mint should ensure that a coin intended to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary is not made of gold linked to exploitation and criminal activity,” indicates part of a letter sent by Democrats to Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury; and Paul Hollis, director of the Mint.
The concern of Senators Warren and Wyden seems to have arisen from an article published a few weeks ago in the newspaper The New York Times which mentions how, for years, the gold acquired by the Mint to mint US coins is extracted from mines in Colombia, which are allegedly controlled by drug cartels or come from pawn shops located in countries where drug traffickers use them to launder money.
Therefore, Democrats demand a public review into the origin and supply chain of gold.
Since the end of March, the Fine Arts Commission approved the final design of a commemorative coin with Trump’s image, which is also part of the aforementioned celebrations.
As part of a preliminary design, the obverse of the coin featured an image of the nation’s current president wearing a suit and tie, leaning forward over what appears to be a desk.
However, the Mint announced that they will not be ready for the celebrations, since the final design has not even been approved and production could take several months.
“While the coin will be struck to celebrate the 25th anniversary on July 4, 2026, this is not the planned date for issue,” wrote April Stafford, director of the Mint’s Design Management Office.
Keep reading:
• Donald Trump seems to be obsessed with having his face integrated into coins and bills
• Donald Trump will not have the gold coins with his image to celebrate the founding of the USA.
• Gold coin with image of Trump approved for the 250th anniversary of the United States.
