Trump had his face put on the 2026 national parks pass, along with George Washington

Conservationists are outraged that Trump has had his own image put on the 2026 National Parks Pass.

Previous annual Park passes featured photos of wildlife, iconic park views and people skiing, hiking and enjoying the national parks.

Trump has done more to harm America’s national parks than any other president, while Congress stood by and let it happen.

The Trump administration has cut thousands of critical park staff and eliminated parks employees who have a wealth of expertise to the point where the National Park Service now faces a severe staffing crisis. Trump and Interior Secretary Burgum have removed safeguards for vulnerable wildlife, clean air and water, erased national park history and cut out public input.

The Trump administration is working to rescind the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule, a policy created after years of public input and consideration, that puts conservation on an equal footing with extractive uses of public lands.  Rescinding the rule threatens access to public lands and would roll back protections and restoration efforts for some of the most celebrated landscapes in the country.

Putting his own face on the parks pass could be illegal.

There is an established legal process for choosing the images that go on annual national parks passes.

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA), 16 U.S. Code § 6804, requires the images used on parks passes to be selected through an annual public competition known as the “Share the Experience Photo Contest,” a process that is supposed to allow public input in choosing the artwork. The 2025 Share the Experience photo contest to choose the photo for the 2026 park pass was supposed to be open until December 31, 2025, but somehow the image of Trump’s face has already been chosen and placed on the 2026 passes.

There is no clarity about the process that led to Trump’s image being put on the 2026 parks pass, but we do know Trump has never frequented National Park sites, has never done much to promote the virtues of public parks and as far as we know has never camped or hiked on the nation’s public lands. But he has sought to have his own face added to Mt. Rushmore.