Environmental group seeks to get Trump’s image removed from park passes

The environmental group wants President Donald Trump image removed from next year national park passesand he's suing to try to get it.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C., by the Center for Biological Diversity, cites the Federal Lands Recreation Improvement Act (FLREA), saying the law, first passed in 2004, requires the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to hold an annual photo contest to determine which photo will appear in the annual America the Beautiful Pass.

But November 25 the federal lawsuit saysThe Interior Department announced that next year's pass will feature Trump's image rather than this year's winner: Glacier National Park in Montana.

“The official rules governing the contest require that 'the photograph be taken on federal public lands or waters' and any submissions that are 'highly controversial, inappropriate, indecent or obscene' are disqualified. The rules allow for the disqualification of images that have been 'noticeably and/or excessively altered,'” attorneys for the Center for Biological Diversity wrote. in a federal lawsuit.

“The Department of the Interior's bait and switch betrays the expectations of thousands of people who participate in the competition and directly contradicts the public participation requirements of the law. It also undermines the stability of this well-established program and the environmental, recreational and educational benefits that FLREA provides,” they added.

The group is asking a federal judge to declare the Trump administration in violation of the Federal Lands Recreation Improvement Act and bar it from displaying Trump's image on new passes.

The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit Wednesday evening.

In the video On his department's website, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum showed off the annual pass, as well as others that will be available in 2026.

The lawsuit comes after the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, made other changes to national park operations in honor of Trump.

Added last month Trump's birthday, June 14, which is also Flag Day, is on the list of days Americans will be able to visit national parks for free in 2026. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth have been removed. from the list.