After the Trump administration removed Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day and Juneteenth from the 2026 National Parks fee-free days, there has been notable backlash from the public, lawmakers and organizations.
Newsweek has contacted the National Park Service (NPS), the Department of the Interior (DOI), the National Parks Conversation Association and The King Center outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
In its announcement of plans to modernize park access and prioritize affordability for Americans, the DOI shared the list of the National Parks fee-free days, or as it called them, “resident-only patriotic fee-free days.”
In place of MLK Day, a federal holiday paying tribute to the civil rights leader’s equality and justice legacy, and Juneteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S., the department’s list of fee-free days in 2026 instead included more former presidents’ birthdays, as well as Flag Day—which is President Donald Trump’s birthday.
The removal of MLK Day—which has been a fee-free day since 2018—and Juneteenth—brought in as a fee-free day in 2024—follows the Trump administration’s pause earlier this year of these days of remembrance and others as part of a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
What To Know
The decision to exclude MLK Day and Juneteenth removes two of the nation’s most prominent civil rights holidays as National Parks fee-free days, while the department focuses on what it calls its “America-first” policies, which not only included the change in fee-free days, but also changes to National Park entrance costs for foreign visitors and new digital passes, which have Trump on them, according to the news outlet People.
Responding to the removal of these federal holidays, Kristen Brengel, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, said this was concerning.
While presidential administrations have made alterations to the fee-free days in the past, the particular removal of MLK Day is worrying, she said, noting that the day has become a popular day of service for community groups that use the free day to perform volunteer projects at parks.
“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 lawmakers have also reacted to the move, with Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada writing in a post on the social media platform X: “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. Our country deserves better.”
Democratic Representative for New York Gregory Meeks also wrote in a post on X: “Making Trump’s birthday a free-entry day at national parks while eliminating MLK Day and Juneteenth is foul. Our parks should reflect our shared history, NOT cater to Trump’s ego. Families are struggling to get by—that’s where his focus should be.”
Members of the public have also taken to X to say how “racist” the decision is, with others even deeming it “narcissistic and corrupt.”
A former under secretary of state for the Barack Obama administration, Richard Stengel, also wrote in a post on X that the only other country that has their current leader’s birthday as a national holiday is North Korea.
In the DOI release on the updates, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement: “President Trump’s leadership always puts American families first. These policies ensure that U.S. taxpayers, who already support the National Park System, continue to enjoy affordable access, while international visitors contribute their fair share to maintaining and improving our parks for future generations.”
What People Are Saying
Tyrhee Moore, the executive director of Soul Trak Outdoors, a nonprofit that connects urban communities of color to the outdoors, told SFGATE: “This policy shift is deeply concerning. Removing free-entry days on MLK Day and Juneteenth sends a troubling message about who our national parks are for. These holidays hold profound cultural and historical significance for Black communities, and eliminating them as access points feels like a direct targeting of the very groups who already face systemic barriers to the outdoors.”
What Happens Next
The first of the fee-free National Park days for 2026 will be Presidents’ Day, which commemorates the birthdays of former Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, on February 16, skipping MLK Day on January 20.
This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.
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