Ammon News - The US’s National Park Service (NPS) will offer free admission to US residents on Donald Trump’s birthday in 2026 – which also happens to be Flag Day – but is eliminating 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 also promoting the president’s image, name and legacy.

In 2024, the list of free days included Martin Luther King Jr Day and the emancipation celebration Juneteenth – which is 19 June – but not 14 June, Trump’s birthday.

The new free-admission policy takes effect on 1 January and was one of several changes announced by the park service late in November, 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 (27 October) and the anniversary of the creation of the park service (25 August).

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.

Civil rights leaders voiced opposition to the change after news about it began spreading over the weekend.

The Guardian