Democratic Governor Praises Trump’s ‘Great’ Penny Decision

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Anna Commander is a Newsweek Editor and writer based in Florida. Her focus is reporting on crime, weather and breaking news. She has covered weather, and major breaking news events in South Florida. Anna joined Newsweek in 2022 from The National Desk in Washington, D.C. and had previously worked at CBS12 News in West Palm Beach. She is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University. You can get in touch with Anna by emailing a.commander@newsweek.com.

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Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis praised Donald Trump after the president said he instructed the secretary of the U.S. Treasury to stop minting pennies due to cost.

Newsweek reached out to Polis’ office via email on Monday for comment.

Why It Matters

Since taking office, Trump has implemented sweeping directives and executive orders targeting immigration, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), along with tasking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with finding and cutting out government waste in the federal budget. Trump has delegated billionaire Elon Musk to run DOGE.

The United States Mint, a government agency that produces coins and medals for the country, reported in its 2024 annual report that the cost to produce a penny is roughly four cents. Compared to the fiscal year prior, “unit costs increased for all circulating denominations” the report said.

The nickel also cost nearly 14 cents to produce, the report says while noting both the penny and the nickel have “remained above face value for the 19th consecutive fiscal year.”

What To Know

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies. Let’s rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it’s a penny at a time,” Trump wrote in Truth Social post on Sunday.

Polis reacted to the news on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: “As well as saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, there are major environmental benefits to eliminating the penny. This is a great move.”

The penny is made up of copper and zinc, the U.S. Mint says. In the United States, zinc is mined in multiple locations and in 2023, the total estimated value of zinc mined was $2.4 billion. If less zinc is mined, it can lower air pollution.

What People Are Saying

Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek via text on Monday: “Phasing out the penny is a practical and overdue move. It costs more to produce than it’s worth, slows down transactions, and has little real economic utility. While some may see it as a symbolic loss, removing it would streamline cash transactions and save the government millions annually. Politically, it’s a logical step toward efficiency, and the real question is why it hasn’t happened sooner. Guess it will be a nickel for your thoughts now.”

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, wrote in a post on X on Monday: “We’re rooting out the fraud, one penny at a time. My triggered podcast 6 pm ET with investigative journalist Lee Smith @LeeSmithDC see you on @rumblevideo!!!”

Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of the conservative Turning Point USA, wrote on X on Monday: “President Trump’s order to freeze penny production is a perfect example of what makes this administration different. Penny production has been pointless for years. Everyone knew it, but nobody else cared enough to actually act. Sure, it’s ‘only’ $179 million a year. But looks at it another way: The average American’s lifetime tax contribution is about $524,000. This single fix is saving the lifetime taxes of 341 Americans.”

He continued: But it’s also not just about the money. It’s about the mentality. For decades, D.C. has been run by people who simply didn’t care: They didn’t care about American dollars, American interests, or for that matter, American lives. Now, things are different. We finally have an administration that treats every American life and taxpayer dollar as preciously as they deserve to be.”

Representative Ben Cline, a Virginia Republican, on X on Monday: “It costs more than 2 cents to make a penny—a waste of taxpayer money we can’t afford. I fully support President Trump’s decision to halt penny production at the U.S. Treasury. Every penny saved is a win for taxpayers!”

What Happens Next?

Congress could make Trump’s order to the secretary of the U.S. Treasury a law, but The Associated Press notes, previous attempts to discontinue the penny have not been successful.