President Trump criticizes Smithsonian Institution over historical exhibits
President Donald Trump continued to target the Smithsonian Institution for pointing out “how terrible slavery is.” He launched a review of the museum last week.
A new White House report accuses leaders of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History of embracing “extreme political activism” and using the nation’s leading history museum to advance what the report describes as an ideological agenda.
The 162-page report released by the White House Domestic Policy Council on July 4 is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing review of the Smithsonian Institution. This is the latest move in a broader effort by the Trump administration to scrutinize exhibits and programs at the Smithsonian that federal officials consider overly ideological or “woke.”
The report claims that museum leaders have reoriented the museum away from historical research and toward social justice advocacy, and states that the museum now presents American history primarily through themes of racism, oppression, and inequality.
“This ideological capture has shifted the museum’s mission from simple historical education and scholarship to extreme political action seeking to transform our nation,” the report states.
Much of the report focuses on historian Anthea Hartig, who has led the National Museum of American History since 2019 and is the museum’s first female director. The White House cited a public statement from Hartig, who described history as a “primary tool for social justice,” linked scholarship to “activism and advocacy,” and said he was working to “reshape the traditional celebratory narrative of American history.”
The report argues that the museum’s lack of major exhibits dedicated to the Founding Fathers and key events of the American Revolution during the nation’s 250th anniversary downplays the emphasis on America’s founding. It also criticizes the museum’s programs and exhibits on race, immigration, and gender identity, arguing that they prioritize advocacy over traditional historical interpretation.
“For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian Institution has served the American people by providing nonpartisan, independent scholarship, and we will continue to do that effort,” a Smithsonian spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The report’s release comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 entitled “Returning Truth and Sanity to American History.” President Trump objected to what he called a concerted effort to downplay America’s successes and cast historic milestones and founding principles “in a negative light.”
Then, in August 2025, the Trump administration began a review of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian operates 21 museums, a national zoo, and multiple research centers, starting with the eight most visited and best-known museums. Federal officials also identified a series of exhibits and programs that they say reflect ideological or divisive interpretations of U.S. history.
Critics say the Trump administration’s efforts amount to whitewashing America’s sometimes tragic history, and say all Americans have a right to know the full story.
Contributor: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY
