<
https://theconversation.com/featuring-trump-on-us-coins-and-bills-would-put-america-in-rare-company-285125>
"A slang term for cash money is “dead presidents.” But now the very much alive
President Donald Trump could appear on U.S. coins and banknotes, too.
Ever since Trump returned to power in 2025, his administration has put the
president’s face and name on all sorts of things, from federal buildings to
national park passes. Putting him on the almighty dollar would be the crowning
achievement of these efforts. After all, the value of physical U.S. currency in
circulation today stands at over US$2.46 trillion, an all-time high.
If a sitting president’s portraits start appearing on U.S. currency, what would
this change say about American political culture?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said he doesn’t “think that there’s
anything untoward” about the idea, while Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley has said,
“President Trump’s self-celebrating maneuvers are authoritarian actions worthy
of dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.”
As a professor of international relations who has studied the global evolution
of currency iconography for over 20 years, I take a worldwide perspective on
this debate. The data that I have amassed shows that such a choice by the U.S.
would be out of step with nearly every other currency in the world."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
