Every penny costs 3.7 cents to manufacture and the U.S. Treasury lost $85.3 million in 2024 producing them, the U.S. Mint reported. Congress sets currency specifications, so it's unclear whether Mr. Trump has the power to eliminate the penny, but the president might be able to stop the Treasury from minting them.

The Lincoln one-cent coin could be scrapped, with Trump ordering the Treasury Department and U.S. Mint to stop producing the coins. That followed an assertion by Elon Musk of the Department of Government Efficiency that halting production might save the government around $180 million annually. Here’s a bit more on what might transpire.