According to a report from the Washington Post, a visit by Donald Trump to the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in 2017 was an awkward affair, with White House officials warning the hosts to not expose the president to anything that might upset him.
Based upon excerpts from a book by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, entitled, "A Fool’s Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American History and Culture in the Age of Bush, Obama and Trump," Bunch reports the president's visit came after officials refused to shut down the museum for his visit on Martin Luther King Day.
The Post reports, "Trump was joined by Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who is featured in the museum," and was preceded by instructions from White House officials who warned the president was grumpy when he arrived.
Bunch writes that he was instructed Trump “was in a foul mood and that did not want to see anything ‘difficult,'” adding that he felt “It was not my job to make the rough edges of history smooth,” so he took the entourage to one of the museum's galleries exploring global slave trade.
“There is little I remember about the rest of the hour we spent together. I was so disappointed in his response to one of the greatest crimes against humanity in history,” Bunch writes. “Here was a chance to broaden the views and the understanding of the incoming president and I had been less successful than I had expected.”
Bunch also noted Trump seemed fascinated by an exhibit explaining the role the Dutch played in the global slave trade, only to have the president comment, "You know, they love me in the Netherlands."
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