Retired Lawyer Charles Scarinci: Trump Commemorative Coin Directly Violates 1866 Federal Law
Retired U.S. lawyer Charles Scarinci has found that the design of the Trump commemorative gold coin approved by the Federal Arts Commission is suspected of being illegal. He cites the 1866 Thayer Amendment, which explicitly prohibits the depiction of living persons on U.S. currency and securities, a ban that has been in place for 160 years.
The last similar incident occurred in 1926, when a half dollar commemorating President Coolidge was minted during his presidency but was quickly withdrawn due to controversy. Scarinci emphasizes that there is no room for interpretation; the law is clear in its prohibition.
Source: Public Information
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1866年法律的起源在于防范政府官员自恋式权力炫耀，实质上是美国建国后对货币象征权的制度约束。今天特朗普纪念币争议，重现了这一核心张力：纪念与个人崇拜的边界在哪里。联邦艺术委员会批准行为，暴露了行政机构在法律灰色地带测试制度弹性的倾向。
从权力结构看，此类事件标志“个人化符号”在当代政治中的复兴压力。货币作为国家主权的物理载体，其设计规则承载着对君主制传统的集体记忆。Coolidge先例虽短暂存在，但最终撤回强化了规范惯性——活人肖像易被解读为权力永恒化企图。
长远而言，这类法律挑战预示制度惯性与政治创新的碰撞。无论最终结果如何，它都提醒货币不仅是交换媒介，更是权力合法性的视觉锚点。在分化加剧的时代，象征争夺往往先于实质政策变动。