Trump signs orders expanding hunting and fishing on US public lands while joking he could have banned fishing entirely
From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders at a White House Rose Garden dinner on Thursday, reversing Biden-era restrictions on hunting and fishing across federal lands. The orders expand hunting access on public lands, restore the use of lead ammunition in wildlife refuges, and open up offshore recreational fishing. More than 100 representatives from outdoor groups, including the NRA and Bass Pro Shops, attended the dinner.
The first order lifts hunting prohibitions at Castle Mountains National Monument in California and Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, though national parks remain excluded.
Trump told the crowd 'public lands belong to the American people' and praised himself for 'undoing another Biden disaster' on fishing and hunting access.
Trump quipped 'I could've banned fishing — the power of this office is crazy,' prompting Joe Scarborough on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' to dissolve into on-air hysterics, warning viewers to 'catch as much as you can.'