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The US\u2019s National Park<\/a> Service (NPS) will offer free admission to US residents on Donald Trump\u2019s birthday in 2026 \u2013 which also happens to be Flag Day \u2013 but is eliminating the benefit for Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth.<\/p>\n The new list of free admission days for Americans is the latest example of the Trump administration<\/a> downplaying America\u2019s civil rights history while also promoting the president\u2019s image, name and legacy.<\/p>\n In 2024, the list of free days included Martin Luther King<\/a> Jr Day and the emancipation celebration Juneteenth<\/a> \u2013 which is 19 June \u2013 but not 14 June, Trump\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n The new free-admission policy takes effect on 1 January and was one of several changes announced by the park service late in November, including higher admission fees for international visitors.<\/p>\n The other days of free park admission in 2026 are Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Constitution Day, Veterans Day, President Theodore Roosevelt\u2019s birthday (27 October) and the anniversary of the creation of the park service (25 August).<\/p>\n Eliminating Martin Luther King<\/a> Jr Day and Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Americans were emancipated, removes two of the nation\u2019s most prominent civil rights holidays.<\/p>\n Civil rights leaders voiced opposition to the change after news about it began spreading over the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cThe raw & rank racism here stinks to high heaven,\u201d Cornell William Brooks, a Harvard Kennedy School professor and former president of the NAACP, wrote on social media about the new policy.<\/p>\n Kristen Brengel, a spokesperson for the National Parks Conservation Association, said that while presidential administrations have tweaked the free days in the past, the elimination of Martin Luther King Jr Day is particularly concerning. For one, the day has become a popular day of service for community groups that use the free day to perform volunteer projects at parks.<\/p>\n That will now be much more expensive, said Brengel, whose organization is a non-profit that advocates for the park system.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only does it recognize an American hero, it\u2019s also a day when people go into parks to clean them up,\u201d Brengel said. \u201cMartin Luther King Jr deserves a day of recognition \u2026 For some reason, Black history has repeatedly been targeted by this administration, and it shouldn\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Democratic lawmakers also weighed in to object to the new policy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president didn\u2019t just add his own birthday to the list, he removed both of these holidays that mark Black Americans\u2019 struggle for civil rights and freedom,\u201d said Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democratic US senator of Nevada. \u201cOur country deserves better.\u201d<\/p>\n