Trump Really Is Trying to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private Developer

In exchange for the Yosemite easement, Kingsbarn would hand over California land of "equal value," though the company and the Interior Department have not identified a specific parcel ^{[2] [3]}. Kingsbarn's attorney, Lanny Davis, called it "a pro-environmental decision to allow this road to be directly built" and said it "does not endanger any endangered species," even though the parcel sits five miles from an endangered giant sequoia grove ^[2]. A National Park Service spokesperson confirmed the negotiations are real but said "no final decisions have been made," pledging to "follow established procedures to ensure appropriate coordination, transparency, and public involvement" ^{[1] [3]}. This is the third attempt at this exact deal — federal courts rejected the same request from a previous owner in 2007 and again on appeal in 2012, after both the Bush and Obama administrations turned it down ^{[1] [3]}.

A bipartisan coalition of nearly 150 members of Congress, joined by roughly 150 conservation groups, sent a letter to the Interior Department arguing the deal "provides a private benefit at the expense of land that belongs to all Americans" ^[3]. The lawmakers noted the swap still lacks a clearly identified exchange property, calling that a sign the proposal favors Kingsbarn's private interests over the public's ^[1]. This is the first of three administrations to actually advance the request rather than reject it ^{[1] [3]}.

Multiple independent outlets and fact-checkers confirm the Interior Department and National Park Service are actively negotiating a land transfer that would hand part of Yosemite to a private developer — the claim is TRUE, not a fabricated rumor ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.