January 12, 2026

Trump suppressing Smithsonian

MS NOW -  After a period of relative quiet, the Trump administration is now bearing down upon the Smithsonian Institution, the steward of some of the nation’s greatest museums and research centers. The administration has given the institution a Tuesday deadline to comply with a “comprehensive internal review” of its museums and exhibits as the administration demands that it align itself with “American ideals.”

In August, the Trump administration sent a letter to the Smithsonian demanding that comprehensive review  in compliance with an executive order entitled, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” That executive order is a radical edict to re-write history and deny, among other things, the existence of racism in America. 

The executive order lays out a clear agenda to purge the institution of its long-held independence from the executive branch.

The executive order accuses the Smithsonian of having come “under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” that has “promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” It lists as an example an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that  explores the idea that “[s]ocieties including the United States have used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.” 

The executive order lays out a clear agenda to purge the institution of its long-held independence from the executive branch: It declares a mission to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness” by “seeking to remove improper ideology.” It also prohibits “expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy.”  MORE

The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery replaced a photo of Trump and reportedly a caption that accompanied it — erasing mentions of his two impeachments and the Jan. 6 insurrection.

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