Ordered Smithsonian to Align Exhibits with "Pro-America" Narrative
The White House ordered a review of 8 Smithsonian museums demanding they replace "divisive" content with "unifying" descriptions within 120 days. Historians called it "authoritarian censorship." A Black artist pulled her exhibition citing censorship.
On August 12, 2025, the White House sent a formal letter to the Smithsonian Institution ordering a "comprehensive internal review" of eight museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Hirshhorn. Museums were given 30 days to turn over information about current exhibits and 120 days to "begin implementing content corrections" — replacing what the administration called "divisive or ideologically driven language" with "unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions."
This followed a March 2025 executive order in which Trump accused the Smithsonian of promoting "narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive" and directed VP Vance to purge "improper ideology" from its sites.
The White House published a list of approximately 20 "objectionable" exhibits, including:
- A painting depicting refugees crossing the border wall
- A portrait of Dr. Anthony Fauci
- A Benjamin Franklin exhibit — for focusing "almost solely on slavery"
- A Title IX anniversary exhibition
- LGBTQ+ history exhibits including drag ball culture
- An American Latino exhibit described as portraying the U.S. as "stolen land"
- References to Trump's impeachments (initially removed, later restored in less prominent locations)
Artist Amy Sherald withdrew her entire solo exhibition — which would have been the first by a Black contemporary artist at the National Portrait Gallery — citing "a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities."
The Organization of American Historians stated: "No president has the legitimate authority to impose such a review." The American Council of Learned Societies called it "authoritarian censorship." Georgetown historian James Millward warned against American history being "Tiananmenized the way that the Chinese Communist Party tries to censor its own past." Citizen historians organized to document every exhibit before potential changes could be made.
The Congressional Black Caucus described the effort as "whitewashing our nation's history." Trump had posted on Truth Social that the Smithsonian was "OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was."