Overview

• President Trump sent Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch III a 120-day directive on August 12 to replace what the White House calls divisive language with unifying descriptions, followed by an August 21 post listing targeted content.
• The list flags items across multiple museums, including an LGBTQ+ history exhibition at the National Museum of American History, works addressing immigration and race at the National Portrait Gallery, and a National Museum of African American History and Culture text citing Ibram X. Kendi.
• Targeted artists and scholars publicly defended their work; Kendi told NPR the move seeks to discredit him and compared the tactic to Jim Crow–era efforts to suppress truthful accounts of slavery.
• Artist Amy Sherald withdrew her planned National Portrait Gallery solo show, citing alleged censorship of a painting on the White House list.
• More than 150 U.S. arts organizations have signed a pledge to resist political pressure, while reporting identifies lawyer Lindsey Halligan—who lacks museum training—as a key figure in the federal review.