President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on Thursday directing the Smithsonian, a federal consortium of cultural and research institutions, to eliminate “divisive” and “anti-American” content from its exhibitions and restore “monuments, memorials, statues, markers” that have been removed from public spaces since 2020.
The “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” order gives Vice President JD Vance the authority to determine what content is “improper” at the Smithsonian Institution. A fact sheet from the White House describes the order as opposed to “anti-American ideology.”
Since its establishment by Congress in 1846, the Smithsonian has operated as a public-private partnership and maintained editorial autonomy in its telling of the country’s history. It encompasses museums and education and research centers, and within the past decade has evolved substantially with new divisions dedicated to diversity. The National Museum of the American Latino and American Women’s History Museum are among the more recent additions to its portfolio.
“Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth,” the executive order reads. “This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”
The order describes the Smithsonian’s efforts to expand the nation’s historical record as “inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,” and “harmful and oppressive.” The order also bans transgender women from being featured in the planned women’s history museum, which currently has only online exhibits, as the construction is not expected to commence for a decade.
Trump also criticized the National Museum of African American History and Culture. According to the President, the museum “has proclaimed that ‘hard work,’ ‘individualism,’ and ‘the nuclear family’ are aspects of ‘White culture.’” The Washington Post pointed out in its report that that similar phrasing appeared in a 2020 infographic published by the museum in its “Talking About Race” portal, which attempted to describe “aspects and assumptions about white culture”. The graphic was removed from the portal following outcry from conservative politicians.
According to the order, Vance will work with the administration’s executive staff, Congress, and the Office of Management and Budget “to effectuate the policies of this order through his role.” The Smithsonian is overseen by a Board of Regents comprised of nine citizens, six members of Congress, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., and Vance. It’s unclear how Vance can force the institution to implement these ideological changes, apart from withholding funding. Federal funding accounts for some 60 percent of the Smithsonian’s budget, per its website.
The executive order also moves to restore monuments and memorials that have been taken down since 2020, when global protests over anti-Black racism inspired conversations about America’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and colonial projects. A slew of statues dedicated to related historical figures whose fame was predicated were removed from public spaces or re-contextualized.
According to the Trump administration, historical sites in America should center “our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.”
