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Trump Bans 'Negative' Park Signage As Visitors Overrun Tip Line

Conservation groups warn that the directive to emphasize only positive narratives risks erasing darker chapters of American history

Main: A National Park Service sign is shown on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, Monday, May 5, 2025. 
Inset: A protester waves an upside down American Flag in front of the Capitol, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Washington.
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Overview

  • President Trump’s March 27 order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” directs the National Park Service to remove or alter any language deemed negative or unpatriotic
  • QR-coded notices have been installed across parks and historic sites urging visitors to report signage that fails to celebrate America’s “extraordinary heritage”
  • More than 200 tip-line submissions have come back overwhelmingly critical of the policy rather than flagging any problematic text
  • A Department of the Interior spokesperson condemned internal leaks about the changes and warned that staff responses to the tip line will be investigated
  • The National Parks Conservation Association and park historians contend that sanitizing park narratives undermines the agency’s mission to present a truthful account of U.S. history