White House initiates review of Smithsonian museums for “Americanism”

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
White House initiates review of Smithsonian museums for “Americanism”

No Kings protesters walk beside a police presence outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture on April 5, 2025. ZFJ/Alvin Wu

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15 (ZFJ) — The White House has initiated a review of Smithsonian Institution museums to ensure content complies with President Donald Trump’s view of American history.

In a letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III released Tuesday, Aug. 12, White House officials invoke the March presidential executive order Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History to perform a “comprehensive internal review” of museum materials.

“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,” reads the letter.

The White House will be reviewing all public-facing content, including exhibits, websites, and social media content “to assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.”

White House officials will also examine the curatorial process, exhibition planning, and materials collections. The letter placed an emphasis on content planned for the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which is next year.

The following museums will be reviewed initially, while the examination of more museums is planned for a second phase:

  • National Museum of American History
  • National Museum of Natural History
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture
  • National Museum of the American Indian
  • National Air and Space Museum
  • Smithsonian American Art Museum
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The White House has requested a wide range of materials from the Smithsonian, including information on current and upcoming exhibits, internal guidelines, an index of all permanent holdings, educational materials, all Smithsonian websites, a list of external partnerships, all grant-related documentation, and visitor experience surveys.

Officials also plan on holding “voluntary interviews with curators and senior staff” to “better understand each museum’s goals and the broader curatorial vision guiding the institution.”

The letter sets deadlines for handing over the requested materials. White House officials plan to have museums “implementing content corrections” within 120 days and have issued a final report on their review in early 2026.

“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,” concludes the letter.

The letter implements Section 2 of the aforementioned executive order, which is dedicated to “saving our Smithsonian.” The order asserts that the Smithsonian has “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and has “promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

The order names three examples of exhibits that are problematic in the eyes of the president:

  • “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” an exhibit in the Smithsonian American Art Museum that says “‘[s]ocieties including the United States have used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement,’” “‘sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism,’” and “that race is not a biological reality but a social construct.”
  • Exhibits in the National Museum of African American History and Culture that say “‘hard work,’ ‘individualism,’ and ‘the nuclear family’ are aspects of ‘White culture.’”
  • Exhibits in the upcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum that will celebrate “exploits of male athletes participating in women’s sports.”

“Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” reads the executive order.

The Associated Press reported that the Smithsonian said in a statement that it is committed to “scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history,” is reviewing the letter, and will “collaborate constructively with the White House, Congress, and our governing Board of Regents.”

The Smithsonian has come under recent public scrutiny after the National Museum for American History removed a label about Trump’s two impeachments from the impeachments section of the exhibit “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden.”

The Smithsonian denied that the Trump administration had requested the removal of the label and said it was a “temporary addition to a twenty-five year-old exhibition” and “did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation.”

“The section in question, Impeachment, will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history,” said the Smithsonian in a statement.

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