Trump orders 'far-reaching review' to ensure Smithsonian exhibits reflect his values

As part of his continued takeover of Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump will now do a "far-reaching review" of all exhibits at the many Smithsonian museums across the nation's Capitol, wrote Wall Street Journal reporter Meridith McGraw on X.

The report said that the president sent a letter to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lonnie Bunch, saying that three top White House officials want to make sure the museum is embracing “unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story."

They are demanding that the museums all reflect Trump’s executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

After the order was signed in March, the Congressional Black Caucus issued a statement detailing how the order would impact the 179-year-old institution.

"This executive order directs members of the Presidential Cabinet to work with Congress to defund Smithsonian Museum budgets, exhibits, and programs that 'divide Americans based on race' or acknowledge transgender identity," it read.

The National Museum of African American History, in particular, details the U.S. history of slavery, the abolitionist movement, civil rights and Black Lives Matter movement. All of the topics involve matters that conflict with Trump's idea of "unity" and "progress."

Trump complained in the order that The Smithsonian had “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” that promotes “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” He ordered Vice President JD Vance to eliminate all "appropriations for exhibitions and programs that don’t align with his anti-DEI initiatives," wrote the Journal.

In April, the United States National Park Service began scrubbing information from exhibits about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the New York Times reported.

According to the Journal, the administration's letter wants the Smithsonian to conform to Trump's "directive to celebrate American exceptionalism" and "remove divisive or partisan narratives."

White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan, the director of the domestic policy council, implied in a statement that the exhibits aren't "accurate" or "enlightening."

The grouping of 21 museums across Washington, which includes the National Zoo, receives 62% of its funding from Congress and federal contracts, the website states. As a result, they are all free to the public

The Journal said that the effort "demonstrates Trump’s efforts to recast parts of American history in a more positive light."

At the end of July, an exhibit detailing the history of Trump's two impeachments suddenly disappeared.

Read the full report here.