Trump donates salary to National Park Service

President Donald J. Trump has donated his first quarter salary to the National Parks Service. The money will be used to help fund the maintenance backlog in America’s historic battlefields. In a Department of Interior news release, Secretary Ryan Zinke said he accepted the donation, totaling $78,333, along with Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Superintendent Tyrone Brandyburg in the White House. “President Trump is dedicated to our veterans, our public lands, and keeping his promises, and by donating his salary to the National Park Service to repair our historic battlefields proves his commitment,” Secretary Zinke said. “These historic places tell the story of conflicts that helped shape our country’s history, and they also honor the many men and women who have given their lives in service of this great nation. I’m honored to help the president carry out his love and appreciation for our warriors and land.” There are 25 sites across the National Park Service that are classified as National Battlefields, National Battlefield Parks, National Military Parks and National Battlefield Sites. Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland, which commemorates the battle that led to President Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, saw over 350,000 visits last year. Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, where the bloodiest battle of the Civil War took place, saw over 1 million visits in 2016. Zinke said one of his top priorities is addressing the $12 billion in deferred maintenance across the National Park Service.