Behar Comments On Trump’s Policy On Pennies
In a move aimed at cutting government waste, President Donald Trump has announced that the Treasury Department will stop minting pennies, citing the long-standing reality that producing the one-cent coin costs more than its face value.
While the policy is rooted in economic efficiency, the decision has sparked a flurry of reactions—including a rather unexpected theory from The View cohost Joy Behar, who claims Trump’s motive is personal rather than fiscal.
During Tuesday’s episode of the ABC talk show, Behar and her cohosts speculated that Trump’s decision to phase out the penny wasn’t about budgetary concerns, but rather an act of “jealousy” toward Abraham Lincoln, whose face appears on the coin. "Now he’s getting rid of the penny, he’s even jealous of Lincoln," Behar exclaimed. "He’s so small, so petty." Cohost Sunny Hostin quickly agreed, reinforcing the idea that the decision was driven by ego rather than practicality.
Trump’s actual reasoning, however, was straightforward. “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 nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Flaunting her profound ignorance of how even Obama floated the idea, ABC News's Joy Behar claims Trump wants to ax the penny because he's "jealous of Lincoln" and "small and petty." "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah," agrees former fed prosecutor Sunny Hostin.
In reality, the stated… pic.twitter.com/5lTHitXOle— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 11, 2025
The cost of producing pennies has exceeded their value for years, with each coin costing about 2.7 cents to mint, according to the U.S. Mint’s latest reports. The decision aligns with longstanding discussions about eliminating the penny, a move that economists and fiscal conservatives have debated for decades. While past administrations have studied the issue, Trump has become the first president to take action.
The logic behind the decision also applies to nickels, which cost approximately 10 cents to produce—twice their face value. If demand for five-cent coins rises due to the disappearance of pennies, the administration may consider further action to reduce unnecessary costs.
Behar’s comments, while colorful, overlook the well-documented inefficiency of continuing to produce a coin that costs taxpayers millions annually. The debate over eliminating the penny is not new, nor is it unique to Trump’s presidency.
Yet, in an era where every move by the administration is viewed through a political lens, what is fundamentally a cost-saving measure has now been framed as a personal vendetta against a long-deceased president.