On Saturday, July 4, the Trump Administration released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian‘s National Museum of American History of “institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology.” On Tuesday, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III finally responded.
In an email to staff obtained by the Washington Post and published Wednesday evening, Bunch wrote that the report was “not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.” He also asserted that the Smithsonian’s work is “driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story” and the institution is committed “nonpartisanship,” “independence,” and “integrity.”
Bunch’s response is a rare rebuke of the Trump Administration’s ongoing attacks on the Smithsonian; the secretary has steadfastly asserted the instituion’s independence in internal messaging to staff—as he did on Tuesday—but has mostly refrained from speaking candidly about the administration’s approach in public, aside from a few semi-private events. Per an Atlantic profile of Bunch published last month, the secretary met with Trump over lunch last summer. Bunch, according to writer Clint Smith, had expected the president to raise his disapproval of the Smithsonian’s curation and telling of American history, but no such discussion occurred, as Trump mostly asked Bunch for feedback on White House decoration, and briefly spoke about Republican calls to relocate the space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum annex to Houston.
Prior to the July 4 report, it had seemed that the administration’s focus on the Smithsonian had dissipated some from the relentless series of attacks in the first half of 2025, which peaked with Trump attempting fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery, a Smithsonian-run museum, which Bunch asserted that he had no authority to do. Its director, Kim Saget, resigned soon after; she has since been hired by the Milwaukee Art Museum. The last development on the White House’s efforts to bring the Smithsonian to heel was in December, when a leaked email showed Russell Vought and Vince Haley, the budget director for the White House and the director of the Domestic Policy Council, respectively, accusing the Smithsonian of falling “far short” of turning over requested internal and external documentation of its museums.
While the July 4 report does not recommend specific remediation for the issues it claims exist at NMAH, it says the president has “a duty and obligation to seek reforms of the Smithsonian, and to urge the Chief Justice of the United States, as the Chancellor of the Smithsonian, as well as the Vice President, as a Regent of the Smithsonian and as President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, to take appropriate action to restore the integrity of the National Museum of American History.”
Here’s Bunch’s full email to staff:
Dear Colleagues,
As you may have seen, on July 4th, the White House Domestic Policy Council released a report about its ongoing review of the Smithsonian, with particular attention on the National Museum of American History. We continue to review the report and its findings carefully. In the coming days, we expect continued media attention and will comment as needed.
While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History. At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story. As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope, and clarity and as part of that duty, we are dedicated to excellence, reflection, and growth.
We remain focused on what grounds us: a steadfast commitment to scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity. For nearly 180 years, the Smithsonian has worked alongside partners across government—from the White House to Congress to our governing Board of Regents—guided by our enduring mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. That purpose remains: to pursue knowledge with rigor and to serve the American public with clarity and care.
This past weekend offered a vivid reminder of that purpose and our mission in motion. Visitors from around the world gathered to mark the 250th, moving through our museums —pausing before a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Smithsonian Castle, encountering bison sculptures on the National Mall, and stepping into the future in our newest galleries at the National Air and Space Museum. Across the Smithsonian, history and possibility stood side by side, inviting reflection, curiosity, and inspiration.
None of this happens without you. As I have often stated, the Smithsonian is the glue that holds the nation together, and that is because of your dedication, your care, and your belief in what this institution makes possible. Every day, we are honored to tell America’s stories and hold that responsibility with the utmost regard, respect, and fidelity. We remain committed to fulfilling our mission for generations to come.
Thank you for all that you do and for everything you make possible each day.
Sincerely,
Lonnie Bunch
