President Donald Trump made several alterations to what is known as the presidential "challenge coin."
- President Donald Trump had a hand in redesigning the so-called presidential challenge coin, The Washington Post reported Friday.
- The phrase "E Pluribus Unum" will be replaced by the Trump campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."
President Donald Trump has made several alterations to what is known as the presidential "challenge coin," including replacing the US motto, "E Pluribus Unum," with "Make America Great Again," The Washington Post reported Friday.
The Latin phrase, which appears on US currency, means "Out of many, one." Now the challenge coin features the Trump campaign slogan on both sides.
Presidents have for about two decades given the coins as mementos.
Other changes to the coin include removing the 13 arrows representing the original 13 colonies and making it much thicker than its predecessors. Trump's name also appears three times on it.
One White House aide told The Post the coin was "very gold," adding that Trump "wanted to weigh in on" its design.
Another aide told The Post that the coins would be "used in ways they haven't been in the past," possibly being distributed at rallies and to donors.
Here is the coin compared with past models:
Ethics experts questioned the inclusion of "Make America Great Again" on the coin, often gifted to members of the military.
"For the commander in chief to give a political token with a campaign slogan on it to military officers would violate the important principle of separating the military from politics, as well as diminishing the tradition of the coin," Trevor Potter, a former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, told The Post.