Overview
- The White House Domestic Policy Council published the 162‑page report late on the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, charging on Saturday that Smithsonian leadership, especially at the National Museum of American History, “cannot be trusted.”
- The report lists five central findings, including that the museum lacks major exhibits on the Founding era, reframes celebrations of American history as problems to be ‘problematized,’ and directs staff to link displays to seven contemporary ‘core issues’ such as race, gender, climate and immigration.
- Smithsonian officials rejected the characterization and said the institution has long provided nonpartisan, independent scholarship while Secretary Lonnie Bunch and NMAH Director Anthea Hartig have defended curatorial decisions and the museum’s mission.
- Because the Smithsonian operates as a unique public‑private trust rather than a standard executive agency, any effort to remove leaders or alter exhibits would face legal and governance complexities even though the report is widely read as laying groundwork for personnel, policy, or funding pressure.
- The review follows a March 2025 executive order and fits the administration’s recent pattern of intervening in cultural institutions, and coverage of the report has split along ideological lines with mainstream outlets noting its allegations and conservative outlets framing it as confirmation of institutional bias.