President Donald Trump has taken an extraordinary step in his efforts to turn his birthday into a national celebration, with the National Park Service revealing that on June 14, his birthday, admission to national parks will be free for U.S. citizens.
In addition, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth have both been removed from the schedule of free park admission days, despite both being federally recognized holidays.
Other days that will now be free include Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day weekend, the 110th birthday of the National Park Service, Constitution Day and President Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday.
Other days removed from the schedule include the first day of National Park Week, the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act and National Public Lands Day.
As Axios notes, the changes suggest the Trump administration is favoring days associated with American patriotism over traditional federal holidays.
Spokesperson for the White House Anna Kelly told the Daily Beast, “It would take a simple Google search to determine that June 14 is Flag Day, which is obviously why it is included on this list of dates. It’s unfortunate that Axios and the Daily Beast apparently want to make everything controversial—even this overwhelmingly popular, nonpartisan endeavor to make our national parks more accessible.” The schedule of free days on the National Park Service website explicitly acknowledges both Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday.
Other changes made to national parks include the introduction of an additional $100 fee for foreign visitors on top of existing entry fees. This will affect visitors to parks across the country, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Zion and Yellowstone National Parks.
Free entrance days will only apply to U.S. citizens and residents, while visitors will still be required to pay entrance fees and additional non-resident fees.
June 14, Trump’s birthday, coincides with Flag Day, which is not an official federal holiday.
The president has already revealed some of his grand plans for his 80th birthday next year, including hosting an Ultimate Fighting Championship event at the White House.
The event will be televised, and Trump will be joined by his friend UFC CEO Dana White for the telecast. Officially, the fight will be held as part of a series of events organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
At an October press conference, White said of the event, “In February, we’ll start looking at building the White House card, which I will right now tell you will be the greatest fight card ever assembled in the history of, at least, definitely this company.”
The president has also unveiled plans for the construction of a triumphal arch in Washington D.C. as part of the America 250 celebrations.
To celebrate his 79th birthday this year, as well as the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army, Trump held a lackluster tank parade that ran up a bill of some $45 million.
