"King's Day Out, Trump's Birthday In?"... Controversy Grows Over New U.S. National Park Policy

Criticism Mounts After Free Admission Days Overhauled
"Removing Civil Rights Holidays Is Racial Politics"
Trump's and Roosevelt's Birthdays Maintained and Added
Differentiated Admission Fees for Non-Resident Foreigners Starting Next Year

The United States National Park Service (NPS) will offer free admission to national parks for U.S. residents on President Donald Trump's birthday starting next year.

According to the Associated Press on December 6 (local time), this new U.S. national park free admission policy, which includes this change, will take effect on January 1 of next year. The NPS announced a revised admission fee plan at the end of last month, adding President Trump's birthday (June 14), which coincides with Flag Day, as a new free admission day.

In contrast, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20) and Juneteenth (June 19), which had allowed free admission to national parks until this year, will be excluded from the list of free admission days starting next year. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the Black civil rights leader, and Juneteenth, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people, are among the most symbolic civil rights holidays in the United States. As a result, AP reported that the Trump administration is facing criticism for adjusting the national park free admission schedule in a way that diminishes the nation's civil rights history while highlighting the president's image, name, and legacy.

Photo to aid understanding of the article. Provided by Pixabay

Christine Brengle, spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, said, "Although previous administrations have also adjusted free admission days, the exclusion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is particularly serious because it has become a day when community organizations engage in volunteer work at the parks." She added, "For some reason, the Trump administration has repeatedly targeted Black history, and that should not happen."

Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto criticized, "The president not only added his own birthday as a free admission day but also excluded days commemorating the Black struggle for civil rights and freedom," adding, "Our country should do better than this." Cornell William Brooks, professor at Harvard Kennedy School and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the largest Black civil rights organization in the U.S., called it "blatant and disgusting racism" on social media. Since taking office in January, President Trump has sought to eliminate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs, thereby downplaying the history of racial discrimination in the U.S. and the achievements of the Black civil rights movement.

Meanwhile, aside from President Trump's birthday, next year's U.S. national park free admission days will include Presidents' Day (the third Monday in February), Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), Independence Day (July 4), the NPS Founding Anniversary (August 25), Constitution Day (September 17), President Roosevelt's birthday (October 27), and Veterans Day (November 11). Free admission to national parks is only available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. On November 25, the Trump administration also announced a plan to apply different admission fees for foreign visitors who do not reside in the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.