The Nationwide Park Service will supply free admission to U.S. residents on President Trump’s birthday subsequent 12 months — which additionally occurs to be Flag Day — however is eliminating the profit for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.
The of free admission days for Individuals is the newest instance of the Trump administration downplaying America’s civil rights historical past whereas additionally selling the president’s picture, identify and legacy.
, the listing of free days included Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth — which is June 19 — however not June 14, Trump’s birthday.
The brand new free-admission coverage takes impact Jan. 1 and was one in every of a number of modifications introduced by the park service late final month, together with greater admission charges for worldwide guests.
The opposite days of free park admission in 2026 are Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Structure Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday (Oct. 27) and the anniversary of the creation of the Nationwide Park Service (Aug. 25).
Eliminating . Day and , which commemorates the day in 1865 when the final enslaved Individuals had been emancipated, removes two of the nation’s most outstanding civil rights holidays.
Some civil rights leaders voiced opposition to the change after information about it started spreading over the weekend.
“The uncooked & rank racism right here stinks to excessive heaven,” Harvard Kennedy College professor Cornell William Brooks, a former president of the NAACP, wrote on social media.
Kristen Brengel, a spokesperson for the Nationwide Parks Conservation Assn., mentioned that whereas presidential administrations have tweaked the free days previously, the elimination of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is especially regarding. For one, the day has turn into a well-liked day of service for group teams that use the free day to carry out volunteer initiatives at parks.
That may now be way more costly, mentioned Brengel, whose group is a nonprofit that advocates for the park system.
“Not solely does it acknowledge an American hero, it’s additionally a day when folks go into parks to scrub them up,” Brengel mentioned. “Martin Luther King Jr. deserves a day of recognition. … For some purpose, Black historical past has repeatedly been focused by this administration, and it shouldn’t be.”
Some Democratic lawmakers additionally weighed in to object to the brand new coverage.
“The president didn’t simply add his personal birthday to the listing, he eliminated each of those holidays that mark Black Individuals’ wrestle for civil rights and freedom,” mentioned Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. “Our nation deserves higher.”
A spokesperson for the Nationwide Park Service didn’t instantly reply to questions Saturday in search of details about the explanations behind the modifications.
Since taking workplace, Trump has sought to eradicate packages seen as selling variety throughout the federal authorities, actions which have erased or downplayed America’s historical past of racism and the civil rights victories of Black Individuals.
Self-promotion has been a Trump hallmark since lengthy earlier than he was elected to the White Home and one he has continued in his second time period. He very publicly campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize, renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after himself, sought to place his identify on the deliberate NFL stadium within the nation’s capital and had a brand new youngsters’s financial savings program named after him.
Some Republican lawmakers have instructed placing his visage on Mt. Rushmore and the $100 invoice.
Klepper writes for the Related Press.
