Free admission on Trump's birthday offered by National Park Service

In 2026, U.S. residents will be able to enter national parks without paying a fee on June 14, coinciding with both Flag Day and President Trumps birthday. At the same time, the Interior Department, which manages the National Park Service, quietly removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth (June 19) from the list of free entry days.

Both of these holidays, key moments for recognizing civil rights, were included in 2025, while Flag Day was not, according to The Associated Press.

The raw & rank racism here stinks to high heaven, wrote Harvard Kennedy School professor Cornell William Brooks, former NAACP president, on the social platform X, criticizing the updated policy.

Additionally, the department recently introduced a $250 surcharge for international visitors on the America the Beautiful pass starting January 1. This pass grants access to thousands of recreation areas managed by six federal agencies. U.S. residents continue to pay $80 for the same pass.

The full list of free entry days in 2026 includes Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelts birthday on October 27, the anniversary of the Park Service on August 25, and Trumps birthday on June 14.

The President didnt just add his own birthday to the list, he removed both of these holidays that mark Black Americans struggle for civil rights and freedom, stated Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.). Our country deserves better.

Earlier this year, Trumps birthday drew attention for a different reason, as he ordered a military parade in Washington for both the U.S. Armys 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday, which sparked nationwide protests organized by the No Kings movement on June 14 and again in October.

Author: Natalie Monroe