Trump Will Leave Us Penniless

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard the news that idiom enthusiasts across America are rallying to save our smallest unit of currency. 

Because without it, we would be left idiomatically penniless.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I asked several local residents for their thoughts on Trump's threat to our linguistic inheritance.

A penny for your thoughts on Trump's plan to eliminate America's smallest unit of currency?

Ethan (Quality Assurance Engineer)

“As someone not interested in politics, I didn't take the warnings people told me about Trump seriously.

Then, last week, the penny dropped.”

Annabella (Proud Grandmother)

[Overheard at Nordstrom saying a new outfit 'costs a pretty penny']

“Trump? As an immigrant, Trump has been the first president whose speeches I could understand. In fact, my vocabulary is larger than his. I've been improving my English, studying idioms.

I won't have two pennies to rub together, soon, with the cost of eggs.”

Megan (Postgrad, political activist)

“Pushing aside the Abraham Lincoln Penny in favor of the Thomas Jefferson nickel is a sign of what the patriarchy's intentions are.

Fund opposition groups in your area. Make every penny count.”

Greg (Entrepreneur, cryptocurrency influencer, and salesperson at GameStop)

“Paper currency and coinage is no longer relevant to wealth building. If you still hoard physical money and ignore next-gen crypto assets, you are penny-wise and pound-foolish.”

Rachel (Journalist)

“After Trump was elected in 2016, the English lexicon lost 79 adjectives for expressing degrees of undesirability, all replaced by the words Hitler and Nazi.

Now, we're losing idioms? The man keeps turning up like a bad penny.”

Paul (English Teacher, Benjamin Franklin historian)

“As a high school teacher, I've been pinching pennies since the pandemic.”

High School? How are people taking the change?

“The math teachers have been asking how they will teach addition and subtraction if the penny is eliminated.”

Maybe they can teach math using Japanese Yen?

“Very funny. The most important thing I can teach my students is that a penny saved is a penny earned. But my student do have a yen for learning about foreign cultures.”

Final Note

In the writing of this article, ironically, I couldn't find a good idiom for people who excessively use idioms. The best the OED has to offer is 'cliche-monger'.

A penny for your thoughts.

And please drop any nearly worthless idioms I've missed into the comment section.

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A Brief History of the Anti-Penny Movement

1950s–1970s: As inflation reduced the purchasing power of the penny, some economists began questioning its utility. However, no major political figures took up the cause at this time.

1989: President George H.W. Bush’s Treasury Department considered eliminating the penny, but the idea was dropped due to public opposition and lobbying by zinc producers (pennies are made primarily of zinc).

2001–2002: Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Arizona)

In 2001, Kolbe introduced the Legal Tender Modernization Act, which aimed to eliminate the penny and round cash transactions to the nearest nickel.

He reintroduced the bill in 2006 as the Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation (COIN) Act, but it failed to gain traction.

2006: Rep. Jim Kolbe’s COIN Act

The COIN Act proposed eliminating the penny and included measures to modernize coin production. It also addressed the rising cost of producing pennies, which had begun to exceed their face value.

Despite bipartisan support, the bill did not pass.

2012: President Barack Obama’s Remarks

In a 2012 interview, President Obama mentioned that the penny could be phased out, stating, “It’s one of those things where I think people get attached emotionally to the way things have been.”

While he didn’t push for legislation, his comments reignited public debate about the penny’s future.

2017: Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio)

Stivers introduced the Cents Act, which would have suspended penny production for 10 years to save money. The bill did not advance.

2021: Rep. John Rose (R-Tennessee)

Rose introduced the Cents and Sensibility Act, which proposed rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel and eliminating the penny. Like previous efforts, the bill did not gain momentum.

Arguments for Eliminating the Penny

Cost of Production: It costs more to produce a penny (about 2.7 cents as of 2023) than its face value.

Inefficiency: Pennies are rarely used in transactions and often end up in jars or discarded.

Time and Resources: Handling pennies slows down transactions and increases costs for businesses.

Environmental Impact: Producing pennies consumes natural resources like zinc and copper.

Arguments Against Eliminating the Penny

Tradition: Many Americans are emotionally attached to the penny, which features Abraham Lincoln’s likeness.

Charity: Organizations like the Salvation Army rely on penny donations.

Inflation Concerns: Some fear that rounding cash transactions could lead to higher prices over time.