January 13, 2026 11:20 AM UTC

The Donald J. Trump National Parks Brought to You by Donald J. Trump

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• by: Colorado Pols

President Trump is a very busy man, with buildings and institutions to rename; fishing boats to blow up; and foreign leaders to, um, relocate. Nevertheless, Trump still found time in his busy schedule to address the scourge of tiny stickers on park passes.

As Colorado Public Radio reported over the weekend:

The use of an image of Trump on the 2026 pass — rather than the usual picture of nature — has sparked a backlash, sticker protests, and a lawsuit from a conservation group.

The $80 annual America the Beautiful pass gives visitors access to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Since 2004, the pass has typically showcased sweeping landscapes or iconic wildlife, selected through a public photo contest. Past winners have featured places like Arches National Park in Utah and images of bison roaming the plains.

Instead of a picture of nature, this year’s design shows side-by-side portraits of Presidents George Washington and Trump. The new design has drawn criticism from parkgoers and ignited a wave of “do-it-yourself” resistance.

Photos circulating online show that many national park cardholders have covered the image of Trump’s face with stickers of wildlife, landscapes, and yellow smiley faces, while some have completely blocked out the whole card. The backlash has also inspired a growing sticker campaign.

Egads! Americans are putting stickers over President Trump’s face? Quick, somebody call Steven Miller!

As PEOPLE magazine continues:

National park visitors who cover President Donald Trump’s face on the new “America the Beautiful” membership cards could be turned away or face an additional fee this year.

The Department of the Interior reportedly made a recent update to its “Void if Altered” policy for 2026 that prohibits the alteration or covering of any information on national park passes, according to The Washington Post and SFGate. The update comes after the DOI announced in late November that Trump’s face would appear on national parks membership cards starting Jan. 1.

According to an internal email sent to National Park Service staff in late December and viewed by the outlets, and a parks employee who requested anonymity while speaking to SFGate, staff members have been instructed to ask visitors to take any stickers off their card or it could be considered void. If coverings can’t be removed, then they will be charged for a day pass or a pass replacement. [Pols emphasis]

As we’ve said for a long time in this space, Republicans are not serious people interested in actual governing. Trying to prevent people from putting a goddamned sticker on a laminated card is some real fascist/authoritarian shit, but it’s also a massive waste of time and resources.

Anyway, if you have an annual “America the Beautiful” pass, definitely don’t put stickers on it…

…Use a marker instead.