Donald Trump's National Park Tip Line Flooded With Angry Messages

Newsweek

18 hours ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A tip line set up at national parks and monuments by the Trump administration has been flooded with angry visitors.
The Trump administration has been asking national park visitors to report any language they see in the parks that is "negative about either past or living Americans or that fails to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes." They can do this via a QR code link attached to signs.
According to National Park Service (NPS) sources who spoke with Government Executive, over 200 people have responded to the signs, but none have followed the prompt. Instead, they are using the QR code page to say they find the request "outrageous."
Their responses have not been independently verified by Newsweek.
A Department of the Interior spokesperson told Newsweek: "It is a true shame that employees are spending their time leaking to the media instead of doing work for the American people. The same American people who fund their paychecks. Leaks will not be tolerated and this will be investigated."
Main: A National Park Service sign on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Inset: A protester waves an upside-down American flag in front of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025.
Main: A National Park Service sign on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. Inset: A protester waves an upside-down American flag in front of the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025.
Main: Jed Jacobsohn, Inset: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo
Why It Matters
Pushback from national park-goers suggests that many people are unhappy about the attempt to revise language related to American history.
During President Donald Trump's second presidency, his administration has designated English as the national language, removed hundreds of books from military libraries that are about race relations and LGBTQ+ history in the United States, and reverted military bases to their Confederate names.
The Trump administration has also removed mentions of transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument website, despite a transgender woman being the person who initiated the riot.
What To Know
National park visitors have started to notice signs going up asking them to report language in the parks that discusses America's past or present in a negative light.
It follows Trump's executive order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which says: "It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn 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."
Visitors who respond to the tip line have not been afraid to voice their genuine opinions, according to emails obtained by Government Executive.
One email reads: "The executive order...asking for feedback is ****. Parks already do an amazing job telling stories that contain hard truths and everyone is entitled to the truth to make better decisions in our lives. So what if people feel bad?"
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as seen on April 17, 2023.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as seen on April 17, 2023.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo
Another person said in a feedback note to NPS after visiting Independence Hall in Philadelphia: "What upset me the most about the museum—more than anything in the actual exhibits—were the signs telling people to report anything they thought was negative about Americans.
"That isn't just frustrating, it's outrageous. It felt like an open invitation to police and attack historians for simply doing their jobs: telling the truth."
Many people have pointed out how several monuments and parks, such as Stonewall and the Manzanar National Historical Site, a former Japanese internment camp, serve to educate Americans on negative aspects of history so that the same mistakes are not made again.
The act used to intern Japanese-Americans en masse in camps was the Alien Enemies Act, now being used by the Trump administration to enable the mass detention and deportation of undocumented people.
This executive order has been criticized by the National Parks Conservation Association, with Alan Spears, senior director of Cultural Resources, saying: "The president's executive order could jeopardize the Park Service's mission to protect and interpret American history...Every American who cares about our country's history should be worried about what people, places, and themes disappear next."
A National Park Service sign marks the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 17, 2024.
A National Park Service sign marks the Stonewall National Monument outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 17, 2024.
Pamela Smith, File/AP Photo
What People Are Saying
An email sent by an Independence Hall visitor obtained by Government Executive: "Putting up signs like that doesn't protect anyone, [it] just tells visitors that the truth is a problem. And I can't think of anything more offensive than that."
Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association, told Government Executive: "If our country erases the darker chapters of our history, we will never learn from our mistakes. These signs must come down immediately."
Alan Spears, National Parks Conservation Association senior director of Cultural Resources, said in a press release: "For more than a century, National Park Service staff have worked tirelessly to provide park visitors with a truthful accounting of the people and places at the center of that history. That truthful and factual accounting of history should not change, regardless of which political party is in power."
Executive Order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History: "Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history."
What Happens Next
Trump's executive order also calls for changes to Smithsonian Museum displays and exhibits. Visitors are likely to continue encountering these signs throughout the summer, when the parks are at their busiest.