The concept initially came up during a Dec. 19 tour of the museum that included Abby Jones, the acting chief of protocol at the State Department, and the White House photographer, Daniel Torok, according to three people familiar with the discussions. They said the administration officials noted that the White House often received artworks of Mr. Trump created by Americans that could make for a display in a corner of the museum.
Ms. Jones is taking an increasing role in presenting the president’s viewpoint on what he sees as necessary changes in Smithsonian content.
Though the museum has displayed multiple depictions of other presidents, such as Washington, Lincoln and Kennedy, in what is known as the “America’s Presidents” exhibition, those images were typically placed after the men left office.
NY Times - The potential for a deal between Harvard University and the White House was thrown into doubt after President Trump unleashed a blistering attack on the Ivy League school in a series of late-night social media posts.
Just last week, Mr. Trump privately told negotiators he was willing to drop his demand for a $200 million payment from Harvard to the government if that would secure an agreement to end his pressure campaign against the university, which he views as hostile to conservatives and his presidency.
After a report from The New York Times about the change of heart, Mr. Trump’s Truth Social posts at 11:20 p.m. on Monday and again on Tuesday — at 12:11 a.m. and 7:56 a.m. — made clear he had lost interest, at least for now, in such a compromise.
Instead of dropping the fine, Mr. Trump said he would demand $1 billion “in damages.” He threatened the school with a criminal investigation.
“This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings,” Mr. Trump wrote. “In any event, this case will continue until justice is served.”
The sudden shift was characteristic of Mr. Trump’s vacillating demands during months spent trying to hammer out a Harvard deal, which remains a central plank of his broader push to alter the culture of a higher education system he had derided as a factory of “woke” ideology.
Miles Rapoport, the co-chairman of Crimson Courage, an alumni group that has urged Harvard to resist any deal that compromises its academic freedom, said Mr. Trump and his White House were “completely unreliable negotiating partners.”
“I hope this strengthens Harvard’s resolve to not make a deal with an administration that is so ready to go nuclear at any moment,” Mr. Rapoport said.
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