{"id":13589,"date":"2026-06-10T16:01:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T16:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13589"},"modified":"2026-06-10T16:01:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T16:01:52","slug":"a-trump-order-asked-national-park-visitors-to-flag-negative-historical-info-they-had-other-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13589","title":{"rendered":"A Trump order asked national park visitors to flag \u2018negative\u2019 historical info. They had other ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By JACK DURA and MEAD GRUVER<\/strong><\/p>\n

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) \u2014 The Trump administration last year issued a plea to visitors at U.S. national parks: Report any displays or exhibits saying \u201cnegative\u201d things about Americans living in the past or present.<\/p>\n

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But most people who responded instead weighed in to criticize the effort itself, according to an Associated Press analysis of 35,000 public comments submitted in the second half 2025 and recently made public through a lawsuit.<\/p>\n

One visitor to a park in North Carolina called the administration\u2019s efforts \u201cun-American.\u201d Another derided the idea of \u201chaving Americans call in and snitch on each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Donald Trump!\u201d wrote a person in North Dakota\u2019s Theodore Roosevelt National Park, \u201cTrying to erase history doesn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t still happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

A large chunk \u2014 more than half, not even accounting for duplicative submissions \u2014 was a backlash to the effort itself, according to an Associated Press analysis.<\/p>\n

What the Trump administration did<\/h4>\n

Some comments submitted in response to the administration\u2019s solicitation flagged interpretive changes that officials might now seek to undo \u2014 and in dozens of cases already have, according to one group.<\/p>\n

But considering that the National Park Service logged some 323 million visits at more than 400 sites last year, the 35,000 initial public comments received from June to January and released following a lawsuit was a tepid response.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

An order by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last year targeted \u201cinappropriate content\u201d including any signs and exhibits \u201cnegative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.\u201d<\/p>\n

The order following one by President Donald Trump on \u201cRestoring Truth and Sanity to American History\u201d sought to emphasize the achievements of America and splendor of its landscape.<\/p>\n

The goal, Burgum wrote, was to restore sites to \u201csolemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A watchdog group of librarians, public historians and data experts called Save Our Signs, relying on photo submissions and news reports, has documented at least 59 signs removed or modified.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

They include signs referring to slavery, climate change, women\u2019s rights and involvement in conservation and Native American history, said Jenny McBurney, a government publications librarian at the University of Minnesota who is part of the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems to be anything that is sort of going against the ideology, this idea of America is perfect and can do no wrong, which of course we know is not true,\u201d McBurney said.<\/p>\n

Many of the changes were at Philadelphia\u2019s Independence National Historical Park, where the administration removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president. Some of those exhibits were later restored under a judge\u2019s order before further work was halted after the administration appealed.<\/p>\n

How visitors responded<\/h4>\n

More than half the comments showed signs of coordination and were critical of the effort itself. But many others were personally crafted.<\/p>\n

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The comments come to light as a result of a Sierra Club lawsuit seeking their release. Some commended the parks, including their staff and signage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a great time learning about the development of this site including the difficult parts of our American story,\u201d wrote a visitor to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. \u201cWe need those reminders to help us become even better in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others veered into silliness: \u201cDidn\u2019t see any Bigfeets,\u201d wrote a visitor to Washington\u2019s North Cascades National Park.<\/p>\n

A large portion, though, took aim at the administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s idea of having Americans call in and snitch on each other \u2026 is straight out of the fascist playbook he\u2019s literally acting like Hitler or Mussolini,\u201d wrote one visitor.<\/p>\n

Some signage was flagged<\/h4>\n

Some visitors alerted what they saw as inappropriate references to historical figures, including Black leaders, related to race and inclusion philosophies.<\/p>\n

A visitor to Missouri\u2019s Harry S. Truman National Historic Site flagged an installation they said praised the former president as a \u201cfounding father\u201d of diversity, equity and inclusion and a \u201cprecursor\u201d advocate of critical race theory, or a way of looking at U.S. history through the lens of racism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came here to see his hat and maybe a piano, not to read about intersectionality and \u2018equity frameworks.\u2019 I nearly choked on my commemorative root beer,\u201d the visitor wrote.<\/p>\n

Another complained that a sign at Virginia\u2019s Booker T. Washington National Monument described the Black leader as a \u201cfather of DEI and early architect of critical race theory.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sign is blatantly misleading, politically loaded, and clearly designed to push a modern agenda by hijacking a respected historical figure. It\u2019s like naming Paul Revere the first Uber driver because he got around fast,\u201d the person said.<\/p>\n

How the administration responded<\/h4>\n

The Trump administration has been vague about the changes it has made as a result of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn many cases across the system, flagged materials remain unchanged,\u201d an Interior spokesperson said in an emailed statement, while not answering questions about signs or exhibits that are or will be changed.<\/p>\n

Other locations where signs have been removed or changed include Maine\u2019s Acadia National Park, Wyoming\u2019s Grand Teton National Park, New York City\u2019s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Virgin Islands National Park, according to Save Our Signs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hear from folks all over the country that history matters, that our national parks matter and that this is important to them,\u201d McBurney said.<\/p>\n

Gruver reported from Fort Collins, Colorado. This story included reporting from Associated Press writer Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Public comments show backlash against a Trump administration effort to remove “negative” history exhibits from U.S. national parks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA Trump order asked national park visitors to flag \u2018negative\u2019 historical info. 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