{
  "id": 5465010,
  "title": "Don’t take the red pills with Trump’s face on them!",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/dont-take-the-red-pills-with-trumps-face-on-them",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/dont-take-the-red-pills-with-trumps-face-on-them/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Dutch drug institute has issued a stern warning, cautioning that ecstasy tablets featuring the image of former U.S. President Donald Trump are potentially lethal and should not be ingested under any circumstances. These pills, resembling Trump's face, were initially seized by authorities in 2017. Prior to Trump, Barack Obama's image was frequently found on illicit drugs. Joe Biden's visage also appeared on such narcotics, though he was less popular, given his previous attempt to ban raves, which would have been unpopular with ecstasy users. Trump's face is not limited to narcotics; recently, the U.S. Mint released $1 coins featuring his face to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary. This marks the first time a living individual has appeared on U.S. currency since 1866, when Spencer Clark placed his own face on a note. While Trump's face is present on various items, legal or otherwise, he has a long way to go before reaching the level of name recognition possessed by Jean Nicot de Villemain, a French diplomat who introduced smoking to France and was honored with the Nicotiana plant, which gave rise to the term 'nicotine.' Ironically, 'Nick O’Teen,' a supervillain from the 1980s and a figure from a British anti-smoking campaign, was also used as a face.",
  "summary": "The U.S. president's face is everywhere, from illegal drugs to overpriced money.",
  "key_points": [
    "Dutch institute warns ecstasy pills with Trump's image are lethal.",
    "Trump's face on narcotics previously seen on Obama's and Biden's.",
    "Trump first living person on U.S. currency since 1866."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Dutch warning highlights the lethal risk of ecstasy pills bearing Donald Trump's image, echoing a trend of using presidential likenesses on illicit drugs, a tactic that also targeted Barack Obama and Joe Biden.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}