A controversy is brewing in New York City after the Trump administration removed the Pride flag from a national monument. (Spencer Platt/Getty; Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
On Thursday, hundreds of protesters watched as local officials re-raised the Pride flag at the national monument, Fox 5 New York reported, prompting a scathing response from the Department of Interior, which manages the country’s national parks.
"Instead of addressing the basic needs of their constituents, city leaders seem more focused on theatrics than solutions," a Department of Interior spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Residents are left wondering why their elected officials are prioritizing headlines over heating. Every day that these issues go unresolved is another day families are forced to live with the consequences of mismanagement and neglect."
"Hundreds of families in New York City went without power during this year’s severe cold weather, people are being found dead on the streets, and trash has piled up so high it towers over city residents. This is Mayor Mamdani and city officials' New York City. While today's political stunt is a distraction from their recent deadly failures, it would be a better use of their time to get the trash buildup off city streets, ensure there are no more avoidable deaths, and work to keep the power on for the people of New York City."
HOUSE GOP LEADER RIPS 'SOCIALIST' ZOHRAN MAMDANI AFTER 18 PEOPLE FREEZE TO DEATH IN NYC
President Donald Trump, with Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, takes a question from reporters after signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
The source explained that this issue is not specifically targeted at the Stonewall Monument but rather part of broader concerns about the politicization of national monuments carried out by what are known as "Resistance Rangers," employees who are openly working against the Trump administration from the inside.
A report from Outside Magazine last fall highlighted an upside-down American flag being displayed on Yosemite National Park’s famed El Capitan cliff and similar incidents at other national parks as part of a campaign by fired National Park Service employees, activists, and the group of anonymous employees within the National Park Service calling themselves the "Resistance Rangers."
President Barack Obama established the Stonewall National Monument on June 24, 2016, designating the area around the Stonewall Inn in New York City as a protected historic site. The move marked the first time a U.S. national monument was dedicated to LGBTQ history.
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-admin-rips-mamdani-local-dems-as-activists-override-govt-move-at-nyc-monument-focused-on-theatrics