'Nothing beautiful about that': Erase Trump's face from parks pass, lawsuit demands

Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News on Dec 11, 2025

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Calling the design decision crass and disgusting as well as illegal, an environmentalist group is demanding that President Trump’s image be removed from the 2026 national parks pass.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday, Dec. 10, by the Center for Biological Diversity takes issue with an Interior Department switch-up that replaced the contest-winning photo of Glacier National Park with images of Trump and George Washington on the America the Beautiful annual pass.

“America the Beautiful means wild rivers and majestic mountains, not a headshot of a bloated, fragile, attention-seeking ego. There’s nothing beautiful about that,” said a press release from the organization.

The suit cites the federal statute concerning parks passes that dictates the image will be chosen through a public competition. In the past, they have all been landscape or wildlife images.

The suit also challenges as illegal the creation of a separate pass for residents of other nations.

The Department of Interior last month announced higher parks fees for non-residents: $250 for an annual pass or, for those without passes, an extra $100 on top of the normal entry fee for 11 of the most visited parks. The winning Glacier Park photo will be on the 2026 non-resident pass.

For U.S. residents, the annual America the Beautiful pass costs $80.

The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, based in Tucson, Ariz., was founded in 1989 and seeks to protect endangered species and critical habitat.