On August 20, 2025, President Donald Trump ignited a fierce national debate by escalating his campaign to reshape the way American history is presented in the country’s most prominent museums. Trump’s latest move, announced on his Truth Social platform, called for a sweeping review of the Smithsonian Institution and other museums, alleging that these cultural institutions focus too heavily on negative aspects of the nation’s past—particularly the horrors of slavery—and not enough on American achievements and progress.
“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” Trump wrote in his post, as reported by NPR. He directed his attorneys to begin the review process, comparing this initiative to his administration’s recent crackdowns on universities across the country.
The White House had already announced an unprecedented audit of the Smithsonian earlier in August. According to a letter from top Trump aides to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, the review aims to “ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.” The review targets not only public-facing content but also curatorial processes, exhibition planning, use of materials and collections, and the institution’s narrative standards, as outlined by CNN and NPR.
Trump’s campaign is not limited to the Smithsonian. A White House official, speaking to NPR on condition of anonymity, stated, “President Trump will explore all options and avenues to get the Woke out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable. He will start with the Smithsonian and then go from there.” This raises the possibility of extending federal reviews to the nation’s roughly 22,000 museums, a prospect that has alarmed many in the museum and academic communities.
Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump lawyer now serving as senior associate staff secretary, echoed the president’s sentiment on Fox News, stating there was an “overemphasis on slavery” at museums. “I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we’ve come since slavery,” Halligan argued. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, along with other Smithsonian museums such as the Air and Space Museum, are among those pinpointed for immediate review, according to NPR.
Lonnie Bunch III, the first African American to serve as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of educating the public about slavery. In an interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Bunch explained that the purpose of the museum was “to help a nation understand itself — an impossible task without the full recognition of the horrors of slavery.”
Smithsonian exhibits are the product of years of planning and are scrutinized by teams of scholars and curatorial experts before they open to the public. Yet, the White House has requested a vast array of materials from the institution, including internal emails, memos, and digital copies of all placards and gallery labels. Janet Marstine, a museum ethics expert, told CNN that the demands placed by the Trump administration “set the Smithsonian up for failure,” adding, “Nobody could provide those kinds of materials in such a comprehensive way, in that short amount of time, and so it’s just an impossible task.”
The Smithsonian, which was established in the 1840s using funds from the estate of British scientist James Smithson, is supported by federal funds but is not an executive branch agency. It is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents led by Chief Justice John Roberts, making the question of executive control over its exhibits a complicated legal issue. The institution receives 62% of its funding from federal sources and drew 16.8 million visitors last year, according to NPR.
Trump’s efforts to align federal support with his cultural agenda have not been limited to museums. His administration has aggressively targeted colleges and universities, moving to strip federal funding for a variety of reasons, including allegations of antisemitism and non-compliance with policy changes. Columbia University recently settled with the administration for more than $220 million, and Trump has been locked in a protracted legal battle with Harvard University after freezing $2 billion in federal funding. Earlier this year, the administration canceled tens of millions of dollars in federal grants, impacting small museums, libraries, arts programs, and academic research nationwide.
Trump’s approach has drawn sharp criticism from many quarters. The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), whose membership includes over 22,000 institutions, issued a statement to NPR: “The idea of extending federal reviews to the nation’s 22,000 museums misunderstands how museums operate. The vast majority are independent nonprofits, guided by professional standards and community trust. Museums cannot and should not be subject to government review of their exhibitions. The integrity of museums depends on their independence, and that’s what makes them so valuable to the public.”
Democratic Congressional representatives, such as Rep. Bennie Thompson, have accused Trump of attempting to erase Black voices and history. The New York City Bar released a statement in June, arguing that the administration’s actions appear to undermine the transformative purpose of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, stating: “The common thread running through all these orders and actions is that the civil rights laws can and should be invoked to justify protecting a dominant group at the expense of the rights of minority groups.”
Legal experts point out that the government’s ability to regulate museum content is limited by the First Amendment. Patty Gerstenblith, professor of law at DePaul College of Law, told NPR, “I don’t believe that the government could directly prohibit what the museum presents to the American public — it would be a violation of the First Amendment.” However, she noted that while the government is not obligated to fund all forms of expression, it cannot withhold funding based on viewpoint discrimination.
Despite the controversy, Trump has previously praised the Smithsonian, particularly the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2017, he said, “I’m deeply proud that we now have a museum that honors the millions of African American men and women who built our national heritage, especially when it comes to faith, culture and the unbreakable American spirit.”
The Smithsonian began its own review in June 2025, emphasizing its commitment to nonpartisan, unbiased presentation of facts and history. In a statement to CNN, the institution said it was “committed to an unbiased presentation of facts and history” and would “make any necessary changes to ensure our content meets our standards.”
The Trump administration’s moves have sparked debate on cable news, in Congress, and among museum professionals, many of whom worry about the chilling effect of government intervention. As the review unfolds, questions about the balance between public accountability, scholarly independence, and the nation’s reckoning with its past remain front and center in America’s cultural conversation.
