REI Apologizes to Members: Admits ‘Mistake’ Supporting Interior Secretary

April 9, 2025

Are you an REI customer concerned about Trump’s cuts to national parks? Then the co-op has a message for you: We messed up.

In an extraordinary announcement posted to REI’s social media accounts on Wednesday, April 9, REI’s new president spoke directly to the retailer’s millions of customers. Mary Beth Laughton, a longtime board member who officially took the reins of the company on March 31, said REI had “made a mistake” by signing a January letter in support of Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick for Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Gear Junkie