Interior Secretary Burgum Makes Rare Public Appearance to Censor American History at Independence Park
HELENA, MT – Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will appear today at Independence National Historical Park alongside Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to prepare for America’s 250th anniversary celebration, marking a rare public appearance as his administration systematically censors and removes historical materials about slavery and Native Americans from national parks nationwide.
The visit comes as Donald Trump’s Executive Order directing the Park Service to remove and cover up materials deemed objectionable has triggered widespread censorship across the national park system. Recent reporting confirms the Trump administration has ordered the removal of signs and exhibits related to slavery at multiple national parks.
The March order demanded the Interior Department take down materials that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living,” which is being interpreted to cover material addressing racism, sexism, slavery, LGBTQ rights, or persecution of Indigenous people. This brazen historical erasure strikes at the heart of our national parks’ mission: educating Americans on the full truth of our nation’s history and heritage.
In response, Save Our Parks Spokesperson Jayson O’Neill released the following statement:
“Doug Burgum’s appearance at Independence Park is nothing short of shameful—he’s celebrating the systematic erasure and censorship of American history while our national parks crumble under his watch. Burgum, a conflicted billionaire with deep ties to Big Oil, operates in secrecy while making canned photo-op appearances to tout his destructive agenda. Americans deserve transparency from their public servants, not a shadow campaign to whitewash our nation’s history and destroy our natural heritage.”
The timing of Burgum’s Independence Park appearance is particularly telling: he’s making this rare public showing only after swinging through Pennsylvania to speak at yet another energy industry conference, prioritizing fossil fuel executives over the stewardship of America’s historical treasures.
Earlier this month, 45 local historical groups, led by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, penned a letter to Trump and billionaire Burgum objecting to the administration’s attacks on Independence Park’s exhibits about slavery. Now Burgum arrives for what amounts to a victory lap—celebrating the erasure of inconvenient history while our parks crumble from his deliberate neglect.
Save Our Parks launched a “Where’s Doug Burgum?” webpage to expose Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s unprecedented secrecy and lack of transparency as America’s national parks and public lands face their worst staffing crisis in history. Unlike his predecessors, Burgum refuses to share a public schedule.
“Where’s Doug Burgum?” is available at saveourparks.us and will be regularly updated as Save Our Parks continues to expose the systematic destruction of America’s parks and public lands. Do you know where Doug is—and who is he really working for? Hit up our tip line with intel.
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