Donald Trump directs Smithsonian sites to scrub content on race, gender

By Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Derek Wallbank

 

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation directing the Smithsonian Institution to remove references to “improper ideology” from its programs and exhibitions, the latest effort from the White House to crack down on teachings regarding race and gender.

 

The proclamation, which Trump signed on Thursday, called for the Smithsonian — a network of museums and research centers that is not formally part of the federal government — to remove “ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.” 

 

“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,” according to the document.

 

Trump in his second term has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the government and private sector, as well as at cultural institutions, such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Trump and his allies claim that organizations such as the Smithsonian “promote narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

 

The directive calls for Vice President JD Vance, the Office of Management and Budget and lawmakers to ensure that the future programs do not “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.” It also calls for a review of Interior Department monuments, memorials and other sites to ensure that signs do not include “partisan ideology.”

 

About two-thirds of the Smithsonian’s annual budget is from congressional appropriations, with the rest coming from donations, membership dues and on-site sales.

 

The moves come after years of introspection by federal officials into how America’s story is told and which parts are included or omitted in that narrative.

 

For example, at California’s Muir Woods National Monument, where redwood trees soar above a valley just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, park rangers in recent years added yellow sticky notes to signs about the history of the site. The additions were later incorporated into new signs, including details about Native Americans and the racist views of some prominent White figures from the park’s history.

 

“The role of the National Park Service is to preserve history - the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between,” reads a portion of the Muir Woods website. “It’s not our job to judge what history is worth telling, but to share an accurate and comprehensive history.”