Why Trump is attacking Smithsonian national museums over slavery exhibits

US President Trump has targeted Smithsonian museums, criticising 'divisive' content and alleging museums were too focused on highlighting negative aspects of American history

 

The Smithsonian museums have become the focus of a review ordered by US President Donald Trump, targeting exhibits on slavery and immigration. Trump intensified his campaign to remove cultural materials he views as conflicting with his political directives, claiming museums overemphasise "negative aspects" of American history, including “how bad slavery was".

 

In a post on Truth Social, Trump directed his attorneys to review the museums, likening the effort to his scrutiny of universities across the country.

 

“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 (sic),” Trump wrote.

 

 

White House critique of exhibits

 

The official White House newsletter published an article titled 'President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian', highlighting artwork, exhibitions, and online articles that focus on race, slavery, immigration, and sexuality, CNN reported. The list of objectionable content follows a White House letter sent to eight Smithsonian museums, requesting details of current and future exhibition plans, social media content, and other materials.

 

The administration has instructed museums to replace “divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions.”

 

'Refugees crossing the border wall into south Texas'

 

The newsletter singled out a 2020 painting by Rigoberto Gonzalez, Refugees Crossing the Border Wall into South Texas, a finalist in The National Portrait Gallery competition in 2022. The White House criticised the work for “commemorating the act of illegally crossing” the southern border. Gonzalez denied that his painting promotes border crossings, stating it depicts realities, according to a report by NPR.

 

Portrait of Anthony Fauci

 

The list also included Hugo Crosthwaite’s animated portrait of Anthony Fauci, portraying the infectious-disease expert alternately with devil horns and a crown. Crosthwaite explained that the piece warns against repeating mistakes if history is not viewed honestly.

 

'How to be an anti-racist'

 

Ibram X Kendi's How to Be an Anti-Racist, featured at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, guides readers to “actively deconstruct racism, unlearn racist ideas and recognise racial equality". The White House described Kendi as a “hardcore woke activist". Kendi is a professor of history at Howard University.

 

Response of Smithsonian artists and scholars

 

Some artists and scholars expressed fear of further targeting, while others called being highlighted by the White House a “badge of honor". Several voiced concerns that Trump’s push for “anti-woke” art could have a chilling effect on artists, museums, and galleries.