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The White House intensified its campaign to reshape the Smithsonian Institution on Sunday, releasing a report that accuses the National Museum of American History of advancing a politically driven narrative and signaling that the Trump administration may seek broader changes to the institution’s leadership and direction.
The report, issued by the White House Domestic Policy Council on Independence Day, argues that the Smithsonian — particularly the National Museum of American History — has become dominated by what it describes as an activist ideology that no longer presents American history in a balanced or unifying way.
“The Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic,” the report states.
It further contends that museum leadership has shifted its mission “away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.”
Trump expands effort to reshape cultural institutions
The report follows President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate funding for programs that promote what the administration calls “divisive narratives” or “improper ideology” in museums, historical sites and cultural institutions.
The Smithsonian review is the latest step in Trump’s broader effort to reshape prominent cultural organizations that his administration argues have embraced progressive interpretations of American history.
The president previously installed himself as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in an effort to overhaul its programming. A federal judge later ordered the removal of signage that had been added bearing Trump’s name.
The administration has also pressured universities, including Columbia University, by threatening to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding unless policy changes were implemented.
More recently, the administration prevailed in court in a dispute over interpretive panels at the President’s House historic site in Philadelphia, clearing the way for new exhibits that critics argue minimize the role and brutality of slavery.
Smithsonian leaders defend historical scholarship
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, the institution’s first African American leader, defended the importance of presenting American history in its full complexity during an unrelated interview broadcast Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“The notion of being a more perfect union, not the perfect union, is really what motivates me,” Bunch said.
“I think what I want people to understand is that there is a responsibility to continue to make those aspirations available, accessible, meaningful to a whole range of people,” he added. “America’s greatest strength, it’s not running away from its history, but it’s understanding how that history shaped us and continues to shape us.”
The National Museum of American History is led by historian Anthea M. Hartig, the first woman to serve as its director.
Critics warn against political influence
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, criticized the administration’s efforts to influence historical interpretation during an interview Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.
“There’s not one individual narrative that a president gets about our history,” Shapiro said. “Any president should want to make sure that that full history is shared, that the American people are able to draw their own conclusions.”
“If we understand where we came from, we’re going to have a better path forward,” he added.
The White House report rejects that approach, arguing the museum increasingly presents exhibits that undermine confidence in American institutions.
“The National Museum of American History confronts visitors with materials intended to undermine faith in American institutions and the longstanding shared ideals of the American people,” the report states.
The administration concluded that restoring what it calls “truth and sanity” to the presentation of American history will require significant changes to how the Smithsonian interprets the nation’s past.
