The White House is calling for a “comprehensive review” of eight Smithsonian museums.
In a letter sent to the Smithsonian Institute on Tuesday, the Trump administration requested that exhibits be reviewed to ensure they align with the president’s cultural directives ahead of the country’s 250th birthday.
“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,” the letter read.
The administration plans to conduct its review in stages and will target the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
In the letter, the administration outlined a number of requirements that the museums need to meet including the submission of several items, including grant-related documentation, inventories of permanent holdings and visitor surveys. The letter also outlined specific timelines by which the reviews should be completed.
“Within 120 days, museums should begin implementing content corrections where necessary, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials,” the letter states.
This month, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History began scrubbing any mention of Trump’s two impeachments during his first term.
The exhibit, entitled “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden,” includes information about the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. and the Watergate scandal during President Richard Nixon’s term. Nixon resigned rather than face certain impeachment. A temporary label was added in 2021 to include President Trump’s impeachments in 2019 and again in 2021, just days before the end of his first term.
The museum decided to edit the exhibit in early August and said it had decided to restore the exhibit back to its 2008 form.
Trump’s impeachments were “intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025,” the Smithsonian said.
In June, the Smithsonian said it was committed to remain free of political or partisan influence.
“The Board of Regents will continue its vigilant, independent oversight of the Smithsonian and its museums to protect their rigorous scholarship and expertise, nonpartisanship, and accuracy, and ensure that the Smithsonian is welcoming to all Americans,” the statement read.
In March, Trump issued an executive order that lambasted the Smithsonian for “divisive” and “race-centered ideology” that painted Western and American values as oppressive.
In July, artist Amy Sherald canceled an upcoming exhibition of her work at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery over one of her paintings that depicted a transgender woman with pink hair and blue gown holding a torch similar to the Statue of Liberty. Sherald is the artist who painted the famous photo of First Lady Michelle Obama.
The administration has said that their review should be completed by early 2026 if the institute complies.
