President Donald Trump has taken aim at the Smithsonian Institution in his latest executive order.
Titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," Trump calls on museums to remove what he calls "a divisive, race-centered ideology." The action aligns with Trump's broader efforts to root out "wokeness" and reshape public institutions to align with his vision of "patriotic" education.
The order specifically criticizes exhibitions at the Smithsonian's museums that address systemic racism, gender identity and the role of race in American history. It also addresses concerns over the planned American Women's History Museum, accusing it of promoting transgender athletes, and seeks to ensure the institution does not "recognize men as women in any respect."
Vice President JD Vance has been tasked with implementing the order and blocking exhibits perceived to "degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal policy."
Historians and museum professionals have denounced the order, raising alarm at what critics describe as an authoritarian move to silence narratives that don't align with their agenda.
"Trump thinks he can mandate a mythic conception of American history that's almost Disney-esque with only happy endings, only heroic figures, no attention at all to the complexity of American history and the struggles to have a more perfect union," University of South Florida history professor Raymond Arsenault told The Guardian. "It's so chilling. Everything I've worked on in my career is simply ruled out by this one executive order.
"I take it as an insult, an affront and an attempt to control what we do as historians," said David Blight, a historian and professor of African American studies at Yale. "It's a laughable thing until you realize what their intent actually is...to first erode and then obliterate what we've been writing for a century."
The executive order follows Trump's broader campaign to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in government-funded institutions, including the recent closure of the Smithsonian's DEI office. It also echoes his previous efforts to establish a "1776 Commission" as a counter to projects like The New York Times' 1619 Project, which reframes U.S. history through the lens of slavery.
"It is a five-alarm fire for public history, science and education in America," history professor Samuel Redman, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst warned. "It's troubling and quite scary."
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, the institution's first Black leader, has not yet responded publicly to the order.
Formed in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution now includes 21 museums, the National Zoo and 14 education and research centers, 60% of which is federally funded.
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