Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security shared John Gast’s 1872 painting “American Progress” on its social media with the caption “A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.”
- Elon Musk’s AI bot Grok and online observers flagged alleged white supremacist numerology and coded messaging in the image.
- Critics including Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office accused the post of promoting a narrow, predominantly white view of U.S. history.
- DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the move as an unapologetic tribute to American history and offered critics a “history textbook” lesson.
- Art historians such as Rice University’s Leo Costello warn the painting’s Manifest Destiny theme overlooks forced Native American removal and colonial violence.