In a move so shameless it could only come from Dear Leader Donald Trump’s administration, the Orange Menace has slapped his own face on the 2026 America the Beautiful park pass; likely violating federal law in the process. Turns out desecrating sacred spaces isn’t limited to littering golf courses with the corpses of your ex-wives.
Bram R, the creator of the Our Public Lands & Waters newsletter, was alerted by a follower earlier this week that the act sets this clear precedent for how the passes are meant to be designed. (Because he feared retribution from the Trump administration, Bram was granted semi-anonymity in accordance with Hearst’s ethics policy.) When Trump chose to put himself on the 2026 annual pass, Bram told SFGATE, he seemingly ran afoul of the law.
“It’s not really surprising that the Department of the Interior made a unilateral decision to put a presidential portrait on the pass without consulting with the public,” Bram said. “It’s yet another example of ignoring the public’s wishes, while at the same time putting the president on a pedestal (in this case on a pass that millions of Americans will use and look at).”
In a video shared shortly after its initial announcement, the Interior Department revealed new details about its planned artwork. In addition to a new annual pass that will feature Donald Trump alongside an oil painting of George Washington, the passes will include one for veterans featuring a picture of Trump saluting soldiers, a volunteer pass with a photo of Theodore Roosevelt (who doubled the number of national parks during his presidency), and a senior pass with a photo of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. According to the National Parks Traveler, and confirmed to the outlet by the Interior Department, a separate pass for nonresidents will include a more traditional landscape of Glacier National Park.
Typically, these passes feature peaceful images of bighorn sheep or majestic Everglades birds, chosen via a public photo contest meant to celebrate America’s natural beauty. But for 2026, the Department of the Interior went full Dear Leader and swapped out all that democratic tradition for a big, glorious portrait of Trump, a man whose respect for public lands is rivaled only by his respect for classified documents.
The irony of the orange man saluting soldiers while calling them suckers when he didn’t think anyone would hear about it.
I love the cute stickers from the park gift shops. It'd be a shame if one were to get loose in my pocket and somehow got stuck to the face of the pass.