As a political matter, it’s been a difficult year for the Smithsonian. In late March, for example, Donald Trump signed an executive order that directly took aim at the Smithsonian and its museums, directing officials to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American” ideology from the institution. The same order accused the Biden administration of using the Smithsonian to advance what the incumbent president described as a “corrosive” ideology, among other things.
Trump went on to characterize the Smithsonian as an institution that was “once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement” — before it fell victim to a nefarious ideology that the Republican considers “divisive.”
All of this was ridiculous, but it was merely the first in a series of steps. A few months later, the president announced that he’d fired the director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, despite questions about whether he had the legal authority to do so.
More recently, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History decided to alter an exhibit that referenced Trump’s impeachments — in ways that failed to fully reflect the truth — creating a brazen example of trying to rewrite history.
Late last week, the museum restored information about the incumbent president to a display on presidential impeachments, but the new version wasn’t necessarily improved: It made changes to the original and removed some details.
But just because things are bad doesn’t mean they can’t get worse. The Wall Street Journal reported:
The White House plans to conduct a far-reaching review of Smithsonian museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America’s 250th anniversary to ensure the museums align with President Trump’s interpretation of American history. In a letter sent to Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, three top White House officials said they want to ensure the museums’ ‘unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story’ and reflect the president’s executive order calling for ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.’
The Journal’s report, which has been independently verified by NBC News, added that Team Trump intends to scrutinize everything “from public-facing exhibition text and online content to internal curatorial processes, exhibition planning, the use of collections and artist grants.”
The new letter to the Smithsonian Institution’s secretary, dated Aug. 12, added that this effort is intended to “restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
Of course, there’s no reason to believe that Americans have lost confidence in the Smithsonian, just as there’s no reason to believe the public will feel greater confidence in the museums after Team Trump advances its wildly unnecessary initiative. (The letter was signed by White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan, the director of the domestic policy council, Vince Haley, and the director of the office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought.) I’m mindful that Trump’s political allies often express discomfort when his critics accuse him of authoritarianism, but if Republicans want to discredit such concerns, perhaps White House officials shouldn’t tell museums that they’ll be reviewing exhibits to ensure the president’s ideology is reflected. The title of the White House’s order from March said the directive was intended to restore “sanity to American history.” Given the circumstances, “sanity” is not the word that comes to mind. UPDATE (August 13, 2025, 6:59 a.m. ET): In a written statement, the Smithsonian Institution responded to the developments this way: “The Smithsonian’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history. We are reviewing the letter with this commitment in mind and will continue to collaborate constructively with the White House, Congress, and our governing Board of Regents.” This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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