Trump Remakes Presidential Challenge Coin As Homage To Himself

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump remade the presidential challenge coin, and it’s everything you’d expect from a commander in chief who has never been shy about touting his own achievements and milestones — the purpose of the keepsake that presidents have pressing into the hands of military service men and women for about 20 years.

It’s not unusual for presidents to put their own names on the coin, which dates back to the 1990s as a presidential tradition. Trump’s name appears three times, as opposed to only once by his predecessors. That’s not the only difference that makes this coin distinctly and unapologetically Trump’s — it’s also bigger, thicker and, well, a lot golder than the understated coins of previous presidents, which were made of silver and copper.

Also gone is the traditional presidential seal of an eagle holding an olive branch and a quiver of 13 arrows representing the original states. In its place is a right-facing eagle on a red, white and blue shield that bears Trump’s signature and is surrounded by 13 stars. The eagle always faced left on other versions of the challenge coin that bore the official seal. Trump’s coin even stands on its own with a rocking-horse-style base that includes his name in all capital letters.

The big difference — and one that’s raising eyebrows among some ethicists — is that instead of the words from the Great Seal of the United States, “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “out of many, one,” Trump’s coin carries his 2016 presidential campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” The slogan appears again on the flip side.

To be clear, we’re not talking about the Gold Star or other high-level commemorations and citations for bravery and sacrifice. It’s only in the recent administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama that the coins were slipped into the hands of military personnel during a handshake. President Bush is said to have been the first to place the coins at graves in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Before those presidents ensconced the challenge coins in presidential tradition, the small discs had a different lore — once handed down by military commanders for exemplary service, military personnel were “challenged” to produce them. If they couldn’t, the next round of drinks was on them, as the story goes.

The souvenir isn’t manufactured by the U.S. Mint, and it is funded this year by the Republican National Committee. Taxpayers aren’t picking up the tab for Trump’s newly gilded coin.

Even so, “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 Republican and former chairman of the Federal Elections Commission, told The Washington Post.

The Post also reported the new coin, unveiled publicly for the first time Friday, may be handed out as souvenirs to campaign donors and supporters.

An unnamed White House aide told The Post the coins had the campaign slogan because “that’s central to the message” of the Trump administration.

“I’m sure there will not be just one coin during his tenure,” the aide said “I’m sure the next one will say, ‘Made America great again.’ ”

The aide said the president was personally involved in redesigning the coin and that is “very gold.”

“It’s beautifully made,” the aide said.

Not everyone gushed over it, though. Here are a handful of tweets responding to the makeover:

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)