WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Park Service and Department of the Interior are clarifying that annual park passes could be declared invalid if visitors place stickers or other coverings over the image of President Donald Trump featured on the 2026 “America the Beautiful” pass, Colorado Public Radio reported.
Under longstanding federal policy, passes can be voided if they are altered, a rule historically applied to changes such as defacing a signature strip or damaging a barcode, WUSF, West Central Florida’s NPR station said. But under the updated interpretation, a pass might also be rejected if a sticker, ink or other mark obscures Trump’s likeness on the front of the card.
According to KPBS, a PBS and NPR affiliate owned by San Diego State University, a growing number of visitors have posted images online showing national park passes with scenic or protest stickers placed over Trump’s face, and some entrepreneurs are selling custom wildlife stickers intended to cover the portrait. The backlash emerged after the 2026 pass design, which departs from traditional nature photography to feature side-by-side portraits of Trump and George Washington, was released at the start of the year.
WUSF reported the Interior Department said the policy clarification is not a new rule but aims to help park employees handle inquiries and confusion at park entrances. Passes that officials determine to be “defaced,” even if residue from a removed sticker remains, could be refused, and visitors might be asked to remove the covering or purchase a new pass or day ticket.
The controversy, WRVO 89.9 reported, has also spilled over into legal challenges. In December, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in federal court arguing that the inclusion of Trump’s image violates a statute requiring the annual America the Beautiful pass to display a winning photograph from a national parks photo contest, a process that was bypassed for the 2026 design.
