President Donald Trump reportedly plans to broaden his push to whitewash “woke” museum reveals on slavery and American historical past past the Smithsonian.
After Trump tweeted that the Smithsonian is just too targeted on “how bad slavery was,” the White Home stated it might finally search to make use of its energy over funding to drive different museums to toe the road on Trump’s views about historical past.
Trump this week renewed the assault on the Smithsonian that he unleashed this month when he ordered a sweeping overview of its reveals, insurance policies and staffing.
He urged the revered cultural establishment, which is an impartial group however receives vital funding from the federal authorities, is just too targeted on the evils of slavery.
“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,” Trump wrote on his social media website. “Nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future.”
Trump in contrast the push in opposition to the Smithsonian to his effort to drive faculties and universities to bow to his coverage targets together with ending range packages, cracking down on scholar protests and curbing overseas college students.
“I have instructed my attorneys 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,” Trump added.
The White Home ordered up a wide-ranging overview of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions forward of the nation’s 250th birthday, with a objective of aligning the establishment’s content material with Trump’s more-rosy interpretation of American historical past.
In a letter despatched Tuesday to Smithsonian Establishment Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, the White Home specified by element the steps it expects the group to take as a part of the introduced overview. The examination will have a look at all public-facing content material, equivalent to social media, exhibition textual content and academic supplies, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,” in response to the letter.
“This initiative aims 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 letter stated.
The Smithsonian has stated it’s reviewing Trump’s proposals and vowed to cooperate. It consists of 21 museums, 14 schooling and analysis facilities and a zoo and is taken into account the world’s largest cultural group of its form.
Initially Printed: August 20, 2025 at 8:48 AM EDT
