On August 19 and 20, 2025, a familiar culture war flared up in the United States, this time centered on the Smithsonian Institution, President Donald Trump, and the nation’s ongoing debate over how to tell its own story. The spark? A pointed Truth Social post by Trump criticizing the Smithsonian museums for what he called an excessive focus on slavery and “woke” content, which quickly drew both fierce condemnation and spirited defense across the media landscape.
According to CNN, Trump wrote, “The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’ 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.” The post, dated August 19, 2025, set off a firestorm, with CNN’s evening host Abby Phillip devoting her opening monologue to the controversy. As Phillip put it, “Donald Trump says that one of the reasons for his crackdown on Smithsonian Museums is, quote, ‘Everything discussed is how bad slavery was.’” She continued, “But on this topic, it’s important to say objectively, slavery was indeed bad. It was evil, the nation’s original sin. And it is impossible to understand the true history of this country without fully grappling with slavery’s impact.”
The discussion didn’t stop there. CNN convened a panel to dissect Trump’s remarks and the broader question of how American history should be presented in public institutions. Leah Wright Rigueur, a political history professor at Johns Hopkins University, argued that Trump’s criticisms amounted to an attempt to “whitewash” history, suggesting that discomfort with the past should not dictate what is taught or displayed. “Trump is simply trying to whitewash history, because it makes him and other Americans uncomfortable,” she said, echoing a concern shared by many on the left.
Yet the debate was far from one-sided. Scott Jennings, a CNN contributor, offered a nuanced defense of Trump’s position. “Let me just start this conversation by saying that my personal view is slavery was a reprehensible institution. I agree with your words that it was our original sin. We also fought a war to eradicate it and to get over it as a country. And that was a necessary thing that happened, and a lot of people died. And we did eradicate it. And that’s a good thing,” Jennings said, as reported by CNN. He went on to frame the issue as less about erasing the past and more about how a nation chooses to define itself: “Are we going to be defined by the worst moment or the worst institution, or the worst mistake we ever made, or are we going to be defined by what we’ve done moving forward to get over it and to become the greatest nation on the earth?”
This sentiment was echoed by Townhall.com, which noted that Trump’s critique was not a denial of slavery’s horror or significance, but a challenge to what some conservatives see as a fixation on America’s darkest chapters. “It’s the ‘Great Awokening’ that he’s combating,” the outlet argued, referencing a term coined by sociologists to describe a surge in progressive attention to race, slavery, and white supremacy beginning around 2012. Batya Ungar-Sargon, a self-described left-leaning MAGA supporter, elaborated on this point, stating, “Starting in 2012, sociologists began picking up on a new trend: White progressives were becoming obsessed with race, slavery, and white supremacy—largely driven by the liberal media exponentially increasing its focus on these issues.”
Ungar-Sargon brought data to the table, noting a dramatic increase in references to “white supremacy” in major media outlets over the last decade. “In 2010, the words ‘white supremacy’ were mentioned 75 times in The Washington Post and The New York Times,” she said. “In 2020, the words white supremacy were mentioned 700 times in The Washington Post and The New York Times, and 2,400 times in NPR.” Her argument? That the rising focus reflected not so much a changing reality as a shift in media and progressive priorities—a point of contention for those who see the trend as distorting the broader American story.
Historical context also played a prominent role in the debate. As detailed by both CNN and Townhall.com, America’s journey to abolish slavery was complex and marked by both early action and profound struggle. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, passed by the Continental Congress the same year the Constitution was adopted, outlawed slavery in the future states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. By 1804, all Northern states had passed legislation ending slavery, making them the first governments in the modern era to do so. The Constitution itself authorized Congress to ban the importation of slaves after 1808, a power it exercised in 1807, with the law taking effect on January 1, 1808. And of course, the Civil War in the 1860s, which cost over 600,000 lives, ultimately resulted in the abolition of slavery via the 13th Amendment.
Yet the question remains: How should these facts be presented? Trump and his defenders argue for a narrative that emphasizes progress, resilience, and the nation’s capacity for self-improvement. As Jennings put it, “Are we going to present ourselves as being exceptional or not? And I think he believes there is an effort by some to continue to try to define us from our worst moment, instead of [trying] to focus and define us based on our best moments, which started when we eradicated slavery and began to move forward as the light of the world.”
On the other side, many historians and commentators insist that confronting the full weight of slavery’s legacy is essential to understanding the present. Abby Phillip’s words captured this perspective: “It is impossible to understand the true history of this country without fully grappling with slavery’s impact.” For these voices, any attempt to downplay or reframe slavery’s centrality in American history risks perpetuating misunderstanding and minimizing the struggles of those who fought for freedom and equality.
Underlying the debate is a broader contest over the meaning of “woke”—a term that, depending on one’s viewpoint, either signifies overdue social awareness or a stifling ideological orthodoxy. Trump’s assertion that the Smithsonian is the “last remaining segment of ‘WOKE’” drew both derision and applause, reflecting deep divisions over how history should be taught and remembered.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the controversy is how it encapsulates the nation’s ongoing struggle to reconcile pride in its achievements with honesty about its failures. As one panelist asked, “Are we going to be defined by the worst…mistake we ever made? Or are we going to be defined by what we’ve done moving forward…to become the greatest nation on Earth?” It’s a question that, for now, remains very much unresolved.
As the Smithsonian, the media, and the public continue to wrestle with these issues, the debate over America’s past—and its future—shows no sign of fading. The story of how a nation tells its story, it turns out, is as contentious and consequential as the events themselves.
