The White House has identified 20 Smithsonian exhibits that the administration said present history in ideological terms rather than fact.
The president said he believes that museums are the “last remaining segment of ‘WOKE,’” and he wants to address the issue the same way his administration has treated it in colleges and universities.
Additionally, an exhibit about Benjamin Franklin focused heavily on slavery, pointing viewers to learn more about his “electrical experiments and the enslaved people of his household.”
The display also characterizes the Mexican-American War as “the North American invasion,” saying many believe it was “unprovoked and motivated by pro-slavery politicians.”
At least one installation, set to feature a “painting depicting a transgender Statue of Liberty,” has been withdrawn by the artist, according to the White House.
This comes just a few weeks after the museum responded to criticism about the removal of Trump from its exhibit on impeached presidents at the National Museum of American History on the National Mall.
The Smithsonian said on Aug. 2 that it wasn’t compelled by the president or any government official to remove Trump’s two impeachments from the exhibit.
The U.S. Senate acquitted Trump on the charges in both impeachments, which took place during his first term as president.
In his Aug. 19 comments on the review of museums, Trump pointed specifically to the Washington icon as an example of the issue, saying, “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been—Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”
The president said his administration won’t allow the current trajectory to continue, and attorneys will “go through” the museums to “start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities,” with which he said there has been substantial progress.
