Trump's Newest Target: The Smithsonian
The Trump administration is once again trying to rewrite history
The Trump administration is once again attempting to rewrite American history.
On July 4, the White House released a 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian Institution of promoting a "radical view of American history" and engaging in "extreme political activism" — all because they’re telling the accurate story of our history.
The report specifically targets the National Museum of American History for exhibits about racism, immigration, and LGBTQ+ Americans, falsely labeling them as "woke ideology" and "anti-White."
This didn't come out of nowhere.
The report follows Trump's executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which directed federal agencies to scrutinize Smithsonian exhibits the administration considers too "woke." It's part of a larger effort to reshape what Americans learn about their country's past by pressuring schools, museums, and cultural institutions to only teach an idealized, sanitized version of America.
As a Smithsonian spokesperson commented, “For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so.”
The Smithsonian exists to preserve and share America’s full history, not just the parts Donald Trump approves of.
And on the 4th of July this year, some of his supporters experienced that full history when Freedom250 attendees had to seek shelter from thunderstorms… inside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History. Hopefully at least some of those taking shelter from the storm absorbed and appreciated the stories told there. Maybe a few came to understand that sharing our true history isn’t about “wokeness” — it’s about recognizing the depth and complexity of America.
We need to speak up, support institutions like the Smithsonian that protect our real history, and keep pushing back. We can’t allow politicians to decide which facts are acceptable and which voices should be erased.