Trump Orders Overhaul of Smithsonian Museums to Combat 'Ideological Indoctrination'
The executive order, now in effect, tasks Vice President JD Vance with reviewing museum content and federal funding policies, targeting exhibits deemed divisive.
- Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 27, 2025, accusing Smithsonian museums of promoting 'ideological indoctrination' and 'historical revisionism.'
- Vice President JD Vance has been assigned to oversee museum content, aiming to remove 'inappropriate ideology' and restrict federal funding for exhibits that 'dishonor shared American values.'
- The directive mandates a review of federal monuments removed since 2020, with the possibility of restoring those deemed removed under 'erroneous historical reconstruction.'
- The Smithsonian Institution, which operates 19 museums and receives two-thirds of its funding from federal sources, is at the center of this initiative.
- The order is part of Trump's broader campaign against 'woke' ideologies, reflecting debates over historical narratives and cultural representation sparked by the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.