All posts tagged "Smithsonian"

In a late-night Truth Social post, President Donald Trump revealed that he asked the Smithsonian Institution to erect a 30-foot statue.

According to his post, Trump first asked the Smithsonian to install an 11-foot Washington statue before adding a 30-foot "Washington Colossus" in the place of its Infinity sculpture.

"I'm asking the Smithsonian to install the 11-foot Washington statue that was featured at the recent Freedom 250 Grand Prix Race in the Museum's Flag Hall, and dedicate it this Constitution Day, September 17, 2026," Trump wrote. He wants the Smithsonian to "immediately design and display a five-year exhibition worthy of the Life, Sacrifice, and Contributions of George Washington," Trump added....

The resignation of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch marks an about-face by President Donald Trump, who once raved about the outgoing leader.

In a Tuesday appearance on CNN, presidential historian Leah Wright Rigueur flagged the evolution of Trump's posture toward the Smithsonian and explained what Bunch's departure means for institutions like it.

"Lonnie Bunch stepping down is a tremendous loss for cultural institutions across the United States," Rigueur said. "What an absolute icon in the field, somebody who truly loved history, truly loved culture, and really loved putting this kind of public display of American history first."...

President Donald Trump issued a new executive order on Friday demanding warning signs be placed outside the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

The order, which is meant to alert visitors that the institution has been taken over by liberal "ideological capture" and expresses "inaccurate" views of American history that the Trump administration doesn't endorse, earned instant fury from commenters on social media.

"Trump massively escalates against the Smithsonian," wrote New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman....

Lawmakers and historians ridiculed President Donald Trump's executive order directing warning signs outside the Smithsonian's history museum, calling it the "dumbest" order yet.

Trump signed the order Friday, directing the National Park Service to install warning signs on public sidewalks outside the National Museum of American History, according to the executive order.

The order accuses museum leadership of "ideological capture" and says the signs must direct visitors to "locations and resources for accurate information regarding America's history."...

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) called a House Smithsonian hearing "the Republicans' White Pride rally," and conservatives immediately demanded she be censured.

Crockett spoke Tuesday before the House Oversight Committee's Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee — the first time a top Smithsonian leader had faced public congressional scrutiny since President Donald Trump targeted the institution, according to ABC News.

The broadside came moments after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) accused the Smithsonian of pushing "a racial narrative that divides Americans by their skin color and by guilt."...

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) grilled a Smithsonian history official, accusing her of dividing Americans and making white people "feel guilty."

National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig testified Tuesday before the House Oversight Committee's Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee. It was, according to ABC News, the first time a top Smithsonian leader had faced public congressional scrutiny since President Donald Trump targeted the institution.

Boebert opened by accusing Hartig of pushing "a racial narrative that divides Americans by their skin color and by guilt" at a taxpayer-funded institution....