Overview

• On Tuesday, President Trump labeled museums the “last remaining segment of ‘WOKE’,” calling the Smithsonian “OUT OF CONTROL” for emphasizing topics like slavery and national shortcomings.
• He said he directed his attorneys to examine museum content and to begin the same kind of process the administration pursued with colleges and universities.
• The latest remarks come after the White House informed Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III of a planned review to ensure exhibits reflect the president’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism and remove what it calls divisive narratives.
• Historians and museum professionals criticized the initiative as political interference, with the American Historical Association warning it undermines curatorial expertise and historical accuracy.
• Conservative commentary supportive of the move casts it as an effort to scrub DEI messaging and refocus government-funded institutions ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary.