WASHINGTON –– An environmental advocacy group has filed a lawsuit aiming to stop the U.S. Interior Department from featuring President Donald Trump’s face on next year’s annual entrance pass for national parks and federal recreation areas.
The Center for Biological Diversity argues in its 16-page complaint that replacing the usual nature photo with a presidential portrait violates federal law. The $80 “America the Beautiful Pass” is required to display the winning image from an annual photo contest showcasing scenery or wildlife in a national park or forest, the lawsuit states. The June contest’s winning photograph depicted Glacier National Park in Montana.
Instead, the Interior Department reportedly removed the Glacier photo and substituted a close-up of Trump, wearing his trademark blue coat and red tie, scowling alongside an image of George Washington. According to the suit, such a redesign without congressional approval breaches the 2004 Federal Lands Recreational Enhancement Act.
Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, criticized the move, likening it to Trump’s habit of stamping his corporate brand on buildings, restaurants, and golf courses. “The national parks are not a personal branding opportunity,” Suckling said. “They’re the pride and joy of the American people.”
The lawsuit also notes changes to park policies under the Interior Department’s “modernization” initiative, including new digital entrance passes and the introduction of a $250 annual pass exclusively for foreign visitors. The Glacier National Park photo now appears only on this non-resident pass.
In addition, the agency altered its calendar of admission-free days, adding new dates such as Trump’s June 14 birthday while eliminating free entry for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Trump’s administration had previously raised foreign visitor fees and sought to slash national park budgets by more than a third, building on workforce reductions implemented shortly after he took office.