U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a new attack on the Smithsonian Institution, accusing it of focusing too much on slavery and the negative parts of American history.
The White House had already ordered a sweeping review of the Smithsonian Institution this month.
A letter sent by three senior aides to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch said the White House will review public-facing content, internal curatorial processes, and their narrative standards.
Highlights
- Trump criticized the Smithsonian for focusing too much on slavery and negative U.S. history, calling it 'out of control' and 'the last remaining segment of WOKE.'
- The White House ordered a sweeping review of the Smithsonian's public content, curatorial practices, and narratives to align with Trump's directive on American exceptionalism.
- Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch emphasized the necessity of fully recognizing the horrors of slavery for understanding U.S. history and national identity.
- Historians and free expression groups condemned the review, calling it an unprecedented and dangerous attempt to rewrite history and censor truth.
- Trump's campaign against the Smithsonian is part of a broader effort to reshape cultural institutions and restrict federal funding over ideological conflicts.
Donald Trump accused the Smithsonian Institution of focusing too much on slavery
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
In a post on his Truth Social account this week, Trump called the Smithsonian “out of control” and said the museums across the country are “the last remaining segment of WOKE.”
“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” Trump wrote.
Last week, Trump said he directed his lawyers “to go through the Museums” and “start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.”
Image credits: Andrew Lichtenstein/Getty Images
He further added, “This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE.”
The aides wrote that the effort was meant to ensure “alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
The Smithsonian operates 21 museums and galleries, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016.
Bunch, the first African American to lead the Smithsonian, said the story of slavery is essential to understanding the United States.
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch said there needed to be ‘full recognition of the horrors of slavery’
Image credits: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
He told Smithsonian Magazine in an earlier interview that the purpose of the National Museum of African American History and Culture “was to help a nation understand itself — an impossible task without the full recognition of the horrors of slavery.”
Historians and museum experts have sharply criticized the administration’s push.
The Organization of American Historians called the review “unprecedented,” saying “no president has the legitimate authority to impose such a review.”
Image credits: Andrew Lichtenstein/Getty Images
PEN America, a group dedicated to the protection of free expression, also denounced the review, calling it a “deeply concerning effort to strip truth from the institutions that tell our national story.”
“The administration’s efforts to rewrite history are a betrayal of our democratic traditions,” Hadar Harris, PEN America managing director, said in a statement.
Janet Marstine, a museum ethics expert, said the White House’s demands set the Smithsonian up for failure.
“Nobody could provide those kinds of materials in such a comprehensive way, in that short amount of time, and so it’s just an impossible task,” she told CNN. The White House has asked the Smithsonian to provide materials, including internal emails, memos, digital copies of placards, and gallery labels that are on display.
The fight over the Smithsonian is part of a wider campaign by Trump to reshape cultural institutions, including universities and schools.
Trump has been reshaping cultural institutions, including universities and museums
Image credits: Kevin Carter/Getty Images
His administration has threatened to strip funding from universities accused of promoting ideas he opposes, such as diversity, equality, and inclusivity (DEI) initiatives, pro-Palestine activism, LGBTQ+ issues, and any ideologies he deems to be leftist and woke.
Columbia University and Brown University recently reached settlements for $220 million and $50 million, respectively, with the government, while Harvard University is suing to block a freeze on more than $2 billion in federal funding.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order putting Vice President JD Vance, who sits on the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents, in charge of stopping federal spending on exhibits that do not match the administration’s agenda.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
He also appointed attorney Lindsey Halligan to help identify “improper ideology” in museum displays.
Trump’s latest criticism marks a sharp contrast with his earlier remarks. In 2017, during his first term, Trump praised the National Museum of African American History and Culture, saying he was proud that the U.S. had created a museum that honors Black Americans.
He called it a place that tells “the great struggle for freedom and equality that prevailed against the sins of slavery and the injustice of discrimination.”
The Smithsonian has not commented on Trump’s latest remarks. In previous statements, the institution repeatedly stressed its commitment to being nonpartisan and to presenting history in an unbiased way.
In a statement last month, it said it would “make any necessary changes to ensure our content meets our standards.”