National park fees, rising food prices, and a crypto ‘perfect storm’

The moon rises over Zion National Park, Utah, one of the national parks whose entry prices are trebling for foreigners. Keystone/swissinfo

Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday we look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science.

I love America’s national parks and (in moderation) its food. It turns out I have expensive taste: from next year the cost of an annual pass to some of the most popular US national parks will treble for foreigners, and custom duties are helping push the price of certain food items up and up. At least I haven’t got any crypto currencies, which have been “in turmoil”, according to one Swiss paper, since US President Donald Trump threatened China with new tariffs.

Tourists at Mather Point in the Grand Canyon, Arizona. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

From January 1, foreigners will have to pay $250 (CHF200) instead of $80 to visit the most popular US national parks such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone or Yosemite.

The Trump administration said it wanted to give “priority to Americans”, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reported on Tuesday.

The US Department of the Interior said “a new resident-focused fee structure that puts American families first” meant visitors from other countries would be charged $250 for an annual pass to 11 of the most visited national parks, while American citizens and permanent residents would continue to pay $80. Foreign tourists without an annual pass will have to pay a new $100-per-person surcharge plus the standard entrance fee.

“US residents will continue to enjoy affordable pricing, while non-residents will pay a higher rate to help support the care and maintenance of America’s parks,” the department said. RTS noted that several of the parks are UNESCO heritage sites.

Le Temps in Geneva pointed out on Wednesday that the American tourism sector “has already been suffering for several months from a decline in international travellers, chilled by the Republican Party’s policies”. The US Travel Association was forecasting a 6.3% drop in foreign tourist arrivals in 2025 compared with 2024, it said.

• News reports of the new fees – RTSExternal link and SRFExternal link (French, German)

• Further coverage by Le TempsExternal link (French), Tages-AnzeigerExternal link (German, paywall) and BlickExternal link (German)

• Entrance passes and the 11 parks affectedExternal link – National Park Service

Shopping in Los Angeles. Beef prices have climbed to record highs, yet Americans keep buying steaks, Fox News reported on Sunday. Keystone

With prices of certain food items increasing, US President Donald Trump is lifting some tariffs he imposed only a few months ago.

“Certain products and certain everyday experiences have a special effect on us. People see how much milk or a steak costs in the shop. People see rising electricity bills and housing rents. That leads to anxiety,” Joseph Foudy, professor of economics at New York University told Swiss public broadcaster SRF. “And when you see that the cost of living is rising faster than wages, you wonder who is responsible – and of course it’s those who are in power.”

SRF pointed out how Trump has long labelled the issue of affordability a “Democrat scam” without elaborating. But now the White House is reacting: the additional tariffs of 40% on Brazilian imported products such as coffee, beef and various fruits – which were only introduced in July – are being lifted.

In the US, it’s true that certain prices, especially for food, have risen sharply in recent weeks and months, confirmed SRF economics editor Matthias Heim. He gave two examples: bananas have become 7% more expensive within a year and coffee costs almost 20% more. “It’s therefore no coincidence that Trump is lifting tariffs on these products in particular,” Heim said.

The role played by tariffs in these price increases was unclear, Heim admitted. Coffee in particular, but also cocoa, had recently become more expensive worldwide due to poor harvests in various growing countries, he explained. “The consequences of this can also be seen in Switzerland – chocolate costs noticeably more. But in the US, these factors are compounded by customs duties.”

So is economic reality catching up with Trump? “Absolutely, although he doesn’t explicitly admit this,” Heim said. Rather, the US government justifies the withdrawal of the tariffs by saying, among other things, that it applies to products that are not even grown in the US – therefore no American producers need to be protected by tariffs. “In principle, however, rising food prices always fall back on the government in office,” Heim said, pointing out that this was a lesson that Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, also had to learn.

SRF concluded that the lifting of certain tariffs showed that Trump had recognised that one of the issues on which he became president just a year ago – the economy – “could become a boomerang in the 2026 mid-term elections”.

• Explainer on Trump lowering certain tariffsExternal link – SRF (German)

• High prices, little optimism: US economy under pressureExternal link – SRF (German)

Bitcoin is currently trading at around $88,000 – down from $126,000 last month. Keystone

The US president presents himself as a great supporter of the crypto industry, but he is increasingly harming it with his erratic behaviour, says the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ).

“During his election campaign, Donald Trump took the crypto industry under his wing. But he’s now giving it a hard time,” the NZZ wrote in an editorial on Tuesday.

In the first week of October, Bitcoin reached its highest price ever at $126,000 (CHF102,000).  But on October 10, Trump threatened China with new tariffs. Although this sent shockwaves through all financial markets, it triggered the “perfect storm” for crypto assets, the NZZ wrote. “Since then, the market has been in turmoil.” As of Wednesday, Bitcoin is trading at under $88,000.

“This is bitter for the financially strong crypto industry, which mobilised millions for the Republican Party during the presidential election campaign. Trump is becoming less of a saviour – who freed them from the yoke of the hostile Biden administration – and more of a burden.”

The NZZ said the Trump family’s “dubious” crypto business was also a factor. “With his private investments in the crypto sector, the president is accepting conflicts of interest that are historically unprecedented.” It quoted news agency Reuters which estimated the Trump family had made around $800 million from these activities in the first half of the year. These included the launch of a Trump meme coin, which foreign investors can buy as a favour to the president, and the pardon of Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire former head of crypto exchange Binance who was imprisoned for money laundering. Binance carried out a major transaction with the Trump family business shortly before the pardon.

“Although the industry celebrates every deregulatory step taken by the government, it’s aware that Trump’s opportunistic behaviour is exposing it to new reputational risks,” the NZZ wrote. “It wanted to get rid of its grubby image. It didn’t want to cement it.”

The paper concluded that it’s high time the crypto industry “emancipated itself” from the Republican Party. “All crypto companies taken together form an industry. It’s not a political project. The industry has a promising future even without Trump.”

• Donald Trump and cryptocurrencies: from liberator to burdenExternal link – NZZ editorial (German, paywall)

The next edition of ‘Swiss views of US news’ will be published on Wednesday, December 3. See you then!

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