Overview

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' targeting Smithsonian exhibits for promoting 'divisive' or 'anti-American' narratives.
• Vice President JD Vance has been assigned to oversee the removal of 'improper ideology' from Smithsonian programs and exhibits, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the forthcoming American Women’s History Museum.
• The order directs the Interior Department to restore federal monuments and memorials altered or removed since 2020, citing concerns about 'false historical reconstructions.'
• Federal funding for Smithsonian programs is now restricted, prohibiting support for exhibits deemed to 'degrade shared American values' or 'divide Americans based on race.'
• Critics have raised concerns about censorship and historical revisionism, while the Smithsonian Institution has yet to issue an official response to the directive.