In his continued attempt to leave some kind of legacy before he’s dragged out of the Oval Office because of the Constitution, President Donald Trump has actually slapped his offensive “Make America great again” slogan on his presidential coins this year.
I know—I never thought I would throw out money, either.
The Washington Post reports that this year’s presidential “challenge coin”—which looks like a police badge—will feature “MAGA” on both sides and replace the U.S. motto, “E pluribus unum,” roughly translated as “Out of many one.”
But wait—there’s more! Trump’s name appears not one, not two, but three times and is “very gold,” ostensibly to class up the currency that presidents have been giving out for the last 20 years. Of course the president weighed in on the design.
In the past, the coin has often been gifted to members of the military, but one White House aide says that the currency may now be given out at rallies and to donors.
Many see this as ethically unsound at best.
“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.
Trump personally trademarked the phrase “Make America great again” in 2012. His campaign then filed for the rights to the slogan in 2015 when he launched his presidential bid.
The Republican National Committee is reportedly paying for this monstrosity.
Read more at the Washington Post.