President Donald Trump has ordered the production of U.S pennies to stop as of Sunday night

Now, Governor Jared Polis, who has been previously in support of the idea, along with national coin organizations in Colorado Springs, is weighing in on the decision.

President Donald Trump has ordered the production of U.S pennies to stop as of Sunday night. Now, Governor Jared Polis, who has been previously in support of the idea, along with national coin organizations in Colorado Springs, is weighing in on the decision.

In President Trump's post to his Truth Social platform on Sunday night, he cited how it costs more than triple the value of the penny, to produce one. According to ABC News, the U.S. Mint reported losing $85.3 million in the 2024 fiscal year that ended in September on the nearly 3.2 billion pennies it produced. Every penny cost nearly $0.037 — up from $0.031 the year before.

The Money Museum of Colorado Springs, which is the largest coin and money museum in the United States, tells KRDO13 that the decision by the President is one that makes sense, no pun intended.

They said the U.S. cent has been on "borrowed time", with the coin dwindling in usage over time, but that the cost to the U.S. Mint is staggering.

"The penny is 47% of what the Mint produces as of 2024, and they have a loss of about $170 million in producing those pennies," explained Caroline Turco, the Assistant Curator for the Museum.

One of six U.S. Mint facilities, which is based in Denver, Colorado, has been at the forefront of coin production for decades. A representative sent KRDO13 the following statement, implying that President Trump's decision could have another hurdle before becoming concrete.

"Unfortunately, we currently have no information on legislative affairs. It is important for us that our customers stay informed. We will communicate any information once and if it is provided to us.

The United States Mint administers all coin programs according to legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President. The United States Mint must adhere to legislative specifications on coin subject, design, metal composition and production.

Because changes to the current laws governing United States coinage would require congressional approval, you may contact your U.S. Senator or U.S. House of Representatives member directly to express your concerns and ideas."

A professor from Northeastern University however, explained to ABC News in January that the process of discontinuing the penny in the U.S. is "a little unclear" and that it would likely require an act of Congress to achieve, but the Secretary of the Treasury, whom Trump says he directed his order to, may be able to simply stop the minting of new pennies.

Turco adds that while the term "penny" is informally used by society, there has technically never been a U.S. penny. She says that it is a British word, and clarifies that the U.S. has been making the cent since ever 1776.

Turco adds that the cent is not alone. She says that over the years other coins have also met their demise within the U.S. Mint such as: the half-cent, the "trine" or a three-cent piece, as well as the Eagle ($10), or Double Eagle ($20) coins. She says that the cent, just like those other coins, has simply lost its use in society.

Governor Jared Polis has previously been outspoken on the idea of getting rid of the cent coin, having posted on his personal X account about it before.

"I've been working on this for years. I tagged DOGE. I tagged Elon Musk. I hope they saw the post to say get rid of the penny because it costs taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars a year making pennies. And it also has major environmental costs in terms of all the mining that goes into it and everything else." Polis reiterated to KRDO13 on Monday while speaking for an unrelated event.

"I'm excited that they're moving in this direction. And it's just an example of increased government efficiency when we think creatively," added Polis.

Turco says that people shouldn't expect to see a jump in the value of the cent coin, since there are billions in circulation, and there have already been at least 250 million cents minted across the country so far in 2025.

She says that by comparison, when Canada ceased the production of their cent coin in 2002, and today Turco says those coins are still worth, "a penny".

Conversely, Turco, as well as other coin collector experts in Colorado Springs, say that people who can get their hands on January 2025, or February 2025 cents, if the production does come to a halt, those may become collectors items, decades from now.