US National Parks Warn Visitors: Altering Trump’s Face with Stickers Could Trigger Fines or Replacement Fees

The US National Park Service has revised its policy regarding the 2026 America the Beautiful passes and has explicitly warned that putting stickers over President Donald Trump’s face on the card might cause the card to be considered invalid and thus lead to the charging of either a fine or a replacement fee. The warning comes after the service had to deal with public outrage about the new design, where Trump’s portrait is shown next to Washington’s, thus replacing the conventional nature photos. 

Policy Update Details

A to the Rangers NPS email from the end of December tells them to carry out the sticker removal at the main gates. If the sticker cannot be removed, the visitor will be charged the price of a daily pass ($35+) or a $10 fee for the replacement, since the pass labeled “Void if Altered” must be able to display all security features like holograms and microtext. The staff may use their judgment, but they will mostly concentrate on the non-altered cards because of the increasing number of complaints. 

Public Backlash

The social networks were filled with the photos of the altered passes, such as drawing happy faces, sticking animal stickers, or blacking out with markers over the face of Trump. The latter has helped to spark a DIY protest movement. Detractors contend that the new design not only contravenes the federal law governing the winning photos from the contest but also gives grounds for the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed its suit on December 10, 2025. This has continued to happen in the case of the REI stickers in the past, but the enforcement in the case of the Trump imagery has been strict. 

Design Controversy

According to the Department of the Interior, the “patriotic” images represent a modernization that is intended to honor the past, and they will be applied to $80 annual passes beginning January 1, 2026. The NPS clarified that the regulation was already there, but the added details were because of the visitors’ questions, which the NPS seeks to clear the entry with no confusion. 

Visitor Advice

To prevent any problems, do not disturb the passes that are on hand or reach out to the NPS for other ones. The policy reflects the ongoing struggle during the second term of Trump between the right to personalize and official integrity.