President Donald Trump’s initiative to Make American History Great Again is now threatening to bulldoze Smithsonian exhibits.
Three White House officials sent a letter to Lonnie Bunch, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, declaring that Trump administration officials will soon conduct a comprehensive review of exhibits to ensure the federally funded museums project “unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story,” as outlined in Trump’s March executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
The order calls for public monuments and the Smithsonian to remove messages that cast America as “racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.”
The newly announced review would target eight out of the 19 Smithsonian museums based in Washington, D.C., including the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Exhibition descriptions, online content, exhibition curation and planning, and artist grants will all be subject to change.
“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,” stated the White House missive, which was signed by White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, and Director of Domestic Policy Council, Vince Haley.
Halligan, 35, spearheaded the campaign. When the Trump attorney moved to D.C. in January, she visited a handful of Smithsonian museums, which she believed went against Trump’s vision for America.
Halligan consulted with Trump “and suggested an executive order, and he gave me his blessing, and here we are,” she told The Washington Post.
Halligan said that the upcoming review is preparation for America250, the 250th anniversary celebration of America’s founding. “This is about preserving trust in one of our most cherished institutions. The Smithsonian museums and exhibits should be accurate, patriotic, and enlightening,” she said in a written statement to The Daily Beast.
The Smithsonian has already begun blocking exhibit pieces that would contradict Trump’s executive order.
In July, Amy Sherald, the artist who painted the famous 2018 portrait of former first lady Michelle Obama, withdrew her upcoming exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, citing political censorship after the gallery prevented her from including a painting that depicted the Statue of Liberty as a transgender woman.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Smithsonian Institution and the White House for comment.
