Summary
- Two House Republicans propose coins to honor Charlie Kirk.
- Proposal follows Kirk’s assassination in September 2025.
- Kirk was a conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder.
According to a copy of the bill text that was able to obtain, Representatives Abe Hamadeh, R-Arizona, and August Pfluger, R-Texas, intend to introduce a bill called the Charlie Kirk Commemorative Coin Act, which would order the Treasury Department to mint and issue 400,000 one-dollar silver coins with an image of Kirk on one side. The words "well done, good and faithful servant" would appear on the opposite side of the coin.
The measure states that, among other things, Kirk's entire name, the year 2026, and the words "In God We Trust" shall be engraved on all coins.
The development was initially covered by Fox News. Calli Cooper, a spokesman for the Republican Study Committee, said the members will present the bill this week.
“Charlie Kirk was a conservative titan whose transformational impact on millions of Americans deserves permanent recognition alongside our nation's greatest leaders and influential figures,”
Pfluger said in a statement.
“This commemorative coin will make Charlie the youngest American ever immortalized on legal U.S. currency, a fitting honor that cements his extraordinary legacy alongside presidents and founding fathers who shaped our republic.”
According to a statement from Hamadeh, the coin would enable "generations to come" to remember his life.
If the bill ever made it to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature, it would have to pass the Republican-controlled House and garner Democratic support in the GOP-led Senate.
Kirk, 31, was shot and killed on September 10 while he was addressing a crowd at Utah Valley University. The culprit, Tyler Robinson, 22, is being sought by Utah prosecutors to be executed.
On September 19, House Republicans voted a resolution praising his life, denouncing his murder, and calling on Americans "to reject political violence." With 95 Democrats voting in favor of the motion and 58 against it, Democrats were split on the issue.
A resolution establishing October 14, 2025, as a “National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk” was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on September 18. In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, sixteen House Republicans requested that Kirk be honored with a monument in the US Capitol. Kirk will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously, according to President Donald Trump.
On September 21, Trump spoke at and attended Kirk's memorial service in Arizona, which was packed with people. There were tens of thousands of mourners, including Kirk's coworkers and religious leaders.
Which past commemorative coins faced similar political controversy?
Commemorative coins that have garnered controversy in the aftermath of mintage include the 1804 Silver Dollar due to its diplomatic mystique, the generally-accepted 1933 Double Eagle owing to legal battles over legality of circulation of the coins in question, and the 1999 Susan B. Anthony Dollar as a result of some minor design alterations. Anchoring it all, the iconic political symbolism found on coins has dated back down through history, and remains a source of debate over the intersection of currency and political waters as well.
The coins minted with an official date but were minted decades after have historical significance as diplomatic presents.
Rarity, mystery over their minting, and production have combined to elevate the coins to collectibles and subsequently a source of intrigue and debate between collectors.