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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History announced Saturday it will reinstate information about former President Donald Trump’s two Senate impeachment trials in its long-running “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” exhibit, after facing public criticism for quietly removing the reference.
The move to restore the Trump placard came days after The Washington Post reported that museum officials had recently removed a sign noting the former president’s impeachments in 2019 and 2021. Critics, including lawmakers and civil rights advocates, charged that the removal was politically motivated and reflected pressure from Trump or his administration.
But in a statement released Saturday, the Smithsonian insisted the removal was due to curatorial concerns, not politics.
“The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a 25-year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation,” the statement read. “It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case.”
Still, the museum confirmed that the impeachment section will be updated “in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.”
The controversy surrounding the exhibit escalated after Trump reportedly pushed for a broader ideological overhaul of the Smithsonian earlier this year. In March, he signed an executive order accusing the institution of being “under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and directed Vice President JD Vance to work with the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents to “remove improper ideology.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blasted the museum’s decision to remove the placard as Orwellian.
“He is censoring the American History Museum. It’s something you’d see in an authoritarian regime,” Schumer said on Friday. “No matter what exhibits you try to distort, the American people will never forget that you were impeached not once, but twice.”
The exhibit, first opened in 2000 and last formally updated in 2008, had not incorporated Trump’s presidency until 2021, when the placard noting his two impeachments was added. A Smithsonian spokesperson previously described it as a “short-term measure” that had remained in place until July 2025 before its sudden removal.
The controversy follows a string of disputes between Trump allies and Smithsonian curators over what the former president sees as ideological bias. Last week, artist Amy Sherald withdrew her work from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery after the institution raised internal concerns about her portrait of a transgender woman styled as the Statue of Liberty.
“I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities,” Sherald said in a statement.
The Smithsonian disputed that characterization, saying it had sought to contextualize the work with a range of perspectives, not censor it.
“The Smithsonian strives to foster a greater and shared understanding,” a museum spokesperson said. “Unfortunately, we could not come to an agreement with the artist.”
The renewed attention on the Trump impeachment placard raises broader questions about how museums navigate political pressure, particularly during a volatile election year.
For now, the Smithsonian appears committed to revising its exhibit to fully reflect the constitutional history of presidential impeachment — including Trump’s unprecedented two Senate trials.
