As this week got underway, the public learned about an executive order from Donald Trump that targeted a series of government agencies to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Included on the list was the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent agency described by The New York Times as “the federal government’s main source of support for the nation’s libraries, museums and archives.”
As the week neared its end, one specific museum — by some measures, the nation’s most famous — was apparently on the president’s mind. NBC News reported:
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday taking aim at the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers. Trump directed Vice President JD Vance to eliminate ‘improper, divisive, or anti-American’ ideology from programs at the Smithsonian Institution, which receives federal funding.
The same order accused the Biden administration of, among other things, using the Smithsonian to advance what the Republican president described as a “corrosive” ideology.
How does the White House define words such as “improper,” “divisive,” “anti-American” and “corrosive” in an ideological context? The order didn’t say. Presumably, Trump knows it when he sees it.
He 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 Trump considers “divisive.”
As part of the same directive, Vance — a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents — will be responsible for identifying and appointing Smithsonian board members who will commit to “advancing the celebration of America’s extraordinary heritage and progress.”
It was around this time two years ago when The Washington Post reported that the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery accepted a $650,000 contribution from the Republican’s Save America PAC to fund the official portraits of Donald and Melania Trump.
If the institution hoped that the arrangement might generate some goodwill, those hopes have apparently been dashed.
As part of the new executive order, the president also directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to overhaul federal parks and monuments that perpetuate a version of history that the White House considers “false.” Who’ll decide which historical claims are deemed accurate? The order didn’t say that, either, though it’s difficult to be optimistic. It comes on the heels of Trump’s recent takeover of the Kennedy Center, part of which included his desire to see the arts institution put on productions in line with his cultural vision. Perhaps the president can expedite matters by creating some kind of committee to examine content he considers un-American? The title on the White House’s order said the directive is intended to restore “sanity to American history.” Given the circumstances, “sanity” is not the word that comes to mind.
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."
Latest Post
Recommended
