Recently changed National Park fee rules have sparked a back-and-forth online.

Americans will no longer get free admission to the country's national parks in observance of MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth, but will for President Donald Trump's birthday ‒ and people have opinions.

The National Park Service previously included these two federal holidays among its free-entry days for around 100 park sites. Come 2026, however, it will remove them from the list and replace them with other "patriotic fee-free days," including the full July 4th weekend, the 110th Birthday of the park service, and Trump's June 14 birthday, which falls on Flag Day.

The move comes amid Trump's targeting of "diversity, equity and inclusion," DEI, policies and an executive order instructing several changes to the parks, including charging non-U.S. residents higher fees for park entry and recreation passes as part of an "America-first" policy and ordering gift shops to remove items that support DEI programs.

The White House already sparked controversy earlier this year in the handling of certain holidays, as federal agencies like the Pentagon paused the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, Pride Month and Holocaust Days of Remembrance in response to Trump's ban on what his administration sees as "DEI" in federal workplaces.

The park service and the Department of the Interior did not respond to a request for comment. Americans on social media, however, have some opinions.

Regular people and public figures alike took to the internet to share their thoughts on the holiday reorganization.

Richard Stengel, Former Under Secretary of State under the Obama administration, shared a post critcizing the move on X, on Dec. 7, saying, "Just to note, other than canceling the two holidays that are important to Black Americans as national park days, the only other country that has their current leader's birthday as a national holiday is North Korea."

Stengel's comparison to North Korea was echoed in several comment threads and posts across X, TikTok and Facebook, with commenters calling the addition of Trump's birthday specifically "authoritarian."

Several posts on the platform called the move racist, with user @covie_93 saying in a post shared 11,000 times and liked 72,000 times, "Do you understand how racist a person must be to remove free access to National Parks on holidays honoring Black people while making it free on his birthday????"

Another post by @JamieBonkiewicz amassed 13,000 shares and 63,000 likes, saying "Removing free access to National Parks on MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth, while making it free on Trump’s birthday, is exactly as racist as you think it is."

"A lot of Americans get national holidays off from work. Trump’s birthday is NOT a national holiday. It makes sense to add the perk of free entry on days when people could actually use it," said writer and X user Juliet Jeske. "He also picked the two holidays connected the most to the Black community."

Posts and comments across TikTok, Facebook and Instagram echoed accusations of racism and comparisons to dictators and kings. Some users and videos highlighted other actions taken by the White House this year, such as removing information about Harriet Tubman from the National Parks website, which was later restored following backlash. Still others lamented that the 2026 National Park passes are set to feature a large picture of Trump's face.

"Like somebody would even go to a park and celebrate on the day of your birthday anyway," said TikToker @lizapeterson410. "You see what happened when you tried to throw yourself a big old large birthday party last time and only had those few people sprinkled up in there anyway," she said, referring to Trump's June military birthday parade.

The official White House Rapid Response Account on X responded to a post from New York Times White House Correspondent Peter Baker, calling him an "insufferable moron" for sharing a USA TODAY story about the change.

"It’s Flag Day, you insufferable moron ‒ which also happens to be President Trump’s birthday. But you already knew that. You’re sick and pathetic, Lil’ Pete," said the post. Comments below it, however, pointed out that the NPS explicitly listed Trump's birthday alongside Flag Day on its official website, which is also not a federal holiday.

This point was also reiterated on posts across platforms. While other days for free entry, including President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day, are federal holidays like MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth, other additions, including Flag Day or Trump's birthday and the 110th Birthday of the National Park Service, are not.

This argument − that the addition of Trump's birthday is only because it coincidentally falls on Flag Day − was echoed by supporters online, with Fox News and Washington Examiner contributor Joe Concha responding to Baker's post with much the same message, "It’s because Trump’s birthday happens to fall on Flag Day, you absolute hack." Two other X posters echoed this response.

"But I don't even care if any President, Democratic or Republican, makes their birthday a free day. If more people get to visit National Parks, that's great. I'm trying to visit most of them and they're amazing," said user @EllieGAnders.

"In just a tiny bit of fairness, Flag Day should have always been a free admission day. The other two should not be removed, but June 14th should have already been as well," said one commentator under a post by the "Alt National Park Service," a popular unofficial account that tracks Trump administration actions on Facebook.

Also across platforms were people pledging to continue celebrating MLK Jr. Day and Juneteenth, with some saying they will insist on paying entry fees on June 14, or will stage protests or boycotts. Others said they plan to proudly attend the parks on the removed holidays to honor them.

"Juneteenth and MLK Day will still be celebrated no matter how much they try to erase it," said a TikToker. "WE ARE ALL still celebrating Juneteenth and MLK day," another said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans react to national parks ditching free entry on Juneteenth, MLK Day

Reporting by Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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