"The National Park Service’s directive is part of a wider Trump administration effort to reshape how American history is told at federal institutions."
"Trump officials have directed staff at national parks to review all items in gift shops for anti-American content, according to an internal directive reviewed by The Washington Post. The move is part of the administration’s wider campaign to scrub federal institutions of “corrosive ideology” recognizing historical racism and sexism.
The directive instructs park staff to report by Friday any retail items that have content that “inappropriately disparages Americans past or living” or that includes “matters unrelated to the beauty, abundance or grandeur” of a natural feature in its description.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March seeking to reshape how American history is told at federal institutions including parks and the Smithsonian museums, blaming former president Joe Biden for casting historic U.S. milestones in a negative light. That order spurred an initiative asking national park visitors to report anti-American signs, which instead drew positive comments in support of the parks and criticisms of Trump officials for staff and budget cuts, according to a Post review of leaked comments."
Jake Spring, Hannah Natanson and Anusha Mathur report for the Washington Post July 12, 2025.
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