The White House is conducting a comprehensive internal review of exhibits and materials at the Smithsonian Institution – the organization that runs the nation’s major public museums – in an effort to comply with President Donald Trump’s directive about what should and shouldn’t be displayed.

Washington

The White House has issued a directive to the Smithsonian Institution, requesting comprehensive details from eight of its museums, including current and planned exhibitions, budgets, and internal communications. The administration states that the initiative aims to ensure museum content aligns with a presidential directive to celebrate American exceptionalism and remove divisive or partisan narratives.

This action is part of a wider campaign by the administration to influence the presentation of American history and culture in federal institutions. Previous efforts have included the removal of references to minority groups and diversity initiatives from government websites, and an executive order targeting the Smithsonian for allegedly promoting divisive ideologies. The directive also follows recent decisions to restore certain historical monuments in accordance with new executive orders.

White House’s latest directive to vet Smithsonian museums

As we begin tonight with the Trump administration spelling out just how deeply it intends to get involved in shaping or reshaping what we learn about this country in its history and culture. The place is the Smithsonian Institution. Today, the White House sent a letter to the head of the Smithsonian, one of the great museums of the world, which is actually 21 museums in all. In the letter, they made it clear to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Birch III, writing that it wants what it wants and why from eight of their museums initially, with more to come. Quoting now from the administration's letter, quote, 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. They're beginning a review of the Smithsonian's plan for celebrating the 250th anniversary of American independence next year, but that's hardly all. And as it says, the goal is not to interfere with day-to-day operations. The White House goes on to demand from each museum a full catalog of all current and ongoing exhibitions and budgets, a list of all traveling exhibitions and plans for the next three years, and all internal guidelines, including staff manuals, job descriptions, and organizational charts, along with internal communications about exhibition artwork selection and approval. The letter concludes with this, by focusing on Americanism, the people, principles, and progress that define our nation, we can work together to renew the Smithsonian's role as the world's leading museum institution, which on its own might sound like a noble ambition, but it does not, of course, stand alone. It comes as part of what has been the administration's ongoing effort to purge government websites and American historical sites of references to black Americans, gay and lesbian Americans, and transgendered Americans. At one point, even flagging for removal on a Pentagon website, a photo of the B-29 bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb in combat. The plane was nicknamed the Enola Gay. A somewhat ironic Control-F fail, apparently, but also part and parcel of a deeply serious administration effort to eliminate from government websites any mention, photograph, or video that, quote, promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. What followed was the elimination of references to black and Latino war heroes, gay service members, and the effort to integrate the armed services starting in 1948. And what followed in March was an executive order targeting the Smithsonian for coming, quote, under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. Now, that order signaled out one of the eight museums named in the letter today, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and specifically something someone wrote on a museum website once in 2020 and was quickly taken down, and which the secretary, Secretary Bunch, spoke about in front of Congress in 2023. I think that the document itself was wrong and flawed. I do think, however, it's important for the Smithsonian to help the country grapple with questions of race. So I'm not going to run away from that. But I agree with you very much that that document is not the kind of document that should be at the Smithsonian. He acknowledged it was inappropriate and wrong and took it down. But if you've ever been to this museum, in addition to being powerful and moving, it's upsetting, and it is unsettling, just like parts of our history are. But the administration has already taken steps to edit out or in, as the case may be. In June of 2020, protesters in Washington pulled down a statue of a Confederate Army General Albert Pike. A short time later, the president, who was then running for re-election, said something that spoke to that moment and, it seems, to this moment as well. The unhinged left-wing mob is trying to vandalize our history, desecrate our monuments, our beautiful monuments, tear down our statues, and punish, cancel, and persecute anyone who does not conform to their demands for absolute and total control. Well, last week, the National Park Service announced that the statue of Albert Pike, who was, just to repeat, a Confederate general, a traitor, would be restored to its place in the district to conform to recent executive orders, including the one in March to restore quote, truth and sanity to American history.

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