WASHINGTON — The National Park Service will offer free admission to U.S. residents on President Donald Trump's birthday next year — which also happens to be Flag Day — but will eliminate the benefit for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.
The new list of free admission days for Americans is the latest example of the Trump administration downplaying America's civil rights history while promoting the president's image, name and legacy.
Last year, the list of free days included Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth — which is June 19 — but not June 14, Trump's birthday.
The new free-admission policy takes effect Jan. 1 and was one of several changes announced by the Park Service late last month, including higher admission fees for international visitors.
The other days of free park admission in 2026 are Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelt's birthday (Oct. 27) and the anniversary of the creation of the Park Service (Aug. 25).
Eliminating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were emancipated, removes two of the nation's most prominent civil rights holidays.
Some civil rights leaders voiced opposition to the change after news about it spread over the weekend.
"The raw & rank racism here stinks to high heaven," Harvard Kennedy School professor Cornell William Brooks, a former president of the NAACP, wrote on social media about the new policy.
Kristen Brengel, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, said that while presidential administrations tweaked the free days in the past, the elimination of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is particularly concerning. For one, the day became a popular day of service for community groups that use the free day to perform volunteer projects at parks.
That will now be much more expensive, said Brengel, whose organization is a nonprofit that advocates for the park system.
"Not only does it recognize an American hero, it's also a day when people go into parks to clean them up," Brengel said. "Martin Luther King Jr. deserves a day of recognition … For some reason, Black history has repeatedly been targeted by this administration, and it shouldn't be."
Some Democratic lawmakers also objected to the new policy.
"The President didn't just add his own birthday to the list, he removed both of these holidays that mark Black Americans' struggle for civil rights and freedom," said Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. "Our country deserves better."
A spokesperson for the National Park Service did not immediately respond to questions Saturday seeking information about the reasons behind the changes.
Since taking office, Trump sought to eliminate programs seen as promoting diversity across the federal government, actions that erased or downplayed America's history of racism as well as the civil rights victories of Black Americans.
At the same time, he renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace after himself, sought to put his name on the planned NFL stadium in the nation's capital and had a new children's savings program named after himself. Some Republican lawmakers suggested putting his visage on Mount Rushmore and the $100 bill.
