Trump Admin Removes National Park Exhibits That ‘Disparage Americans’

The Trump administration has removed or amended dozens of exhibits, signs, films, and educational materials at national parks and historic sites after they were found to “disparage Americans” or because they concentrated on topics unrelated to the “beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the natural landscape,” according to a federal court filing.

The filing lists the status of interpretive materials at multiple National Park Service units following a review conducted under Executive Order 14172.

The filing, part of an ongoing civil case, repeatedly highlights content that “disparages Americans past or living” or is “unrelated to beauty, abundance, and the grandeur of natural landscape,” including claims that certain materials are “out of compliance with” the executive order.

Of the items listed in the filing, 16 are marked as “discarded.” Other statuses include “needs to be refabricated using external vendor,” “reprinted using external vendor,” or “TBD.”

Sites on the list include Virgin Islands National Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Muir Woods National Monument, Mammoth Cave National Park, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Sumter National Monument, Acadia National Park, and Rock Creek Park.

The listed materials include bulletin panels, visitor center exhibits, waysides, signs, films, junior ranger books and publications, as well as gateways and visitor center exhibits, guides, waysides, and brochures. The sites span tropical and island sites, historic battlefields and monuments, seashores, mountain areas, and urban parks.

Additional factors cited include exhibits being “outdated” and in “poor condition.”

National Park Service sites received 323 million recreation visits in 2025, and offer interpretive exhibits, including outdoor wayside signs along trails and indoor visitor center displays, giving context to ecology, geology, and history. Junior ranger books and similar publications are made for younger audiences with educational activities connected to park resources.

One of Trump’s first actions as part of Executive Order 14172 reinstated the name “Mount McKinley” to North America’s highest peak after President Barack Obama changed the name to Denali.

“It is in the national interest to promote the extraordinary heritage of our Nation and ensure future generations of American citizens celebrate the legacy of our American heroes,” reads the executive order. “The naming of our national treasures, including breathtaking natural wonders and historic works of art, should honor the contributions of visionary and patriotic Americans in our Nation’s rich past.”

Trump also issued the similar Executive Order 14253 in March 2025, in which he pledged to restore federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums.

“Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” the executive order states. “This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”