Trump Administration Critiques Smithsonian Association
Reports suggest that the Trump administration is once again focusing on the Smithsonian Association, claiming that it promotes biased narratives, particularly at the Entertainment Museums of American History.
In a communication to Fox News, a White House official, Lindsay Harrigan, expressed discontent with certain exhibitions funded by taxpayer money. She mentioned this in an article released on Saturday.
“U.S. taxpayers should not support institutions that undermine our country or promote a one-sided, divisive political narrative,” Harrigan stated. “Smithsonian facilities ought to showcase history in a way that is accurate and balanced, reflecting the values that make the United States unique.”
In a video shared in April 2022, the National Museum of American History announced the opening of the Entertainment Nation exhibit later that year. This exhibit includes popular cultural artifacts from television, film, sports, and music.
The Fox report pointed out various instances from the exhibition. For example, one placard accompanying a 1923 circus poster mentions how “under the big top, the circus expressed the colonial impulse to assert more control than the world.” Another placard describes early American entertainment, claiming that “one of the earliest entertainment features in the United States was extraordinary violence,” according to the report.
This coverage from Fox is the latest indication of how the museum complex has been perceived as promoting a left-leaning narrative.
In 2020, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture featured a webpage discussing America’s “whiteness,” which, as reported by Breitbart, included traits such as individualism, science, and hard work.
A few years later, there were plans for the Smithsonian to include “trans women” in the future “American Women’s Museum.” Additionally, Smithsonian magazine connected climate change to an ancient Roman plague, according to the outlet.
Harrigan informed Fox that the Trump administration aims to address these concerns.
She indicated that federal authorities are reviewing all content and consulting with Smithsonian leadership to facilitate this process.
In March, Trump targeted what he called “anti-American ideology” within Smithsonian facilities by signing an executive order, based on reports from Breitbart.
The order tasks the Vice President, a member of the Smithsonian Regent Committee, with working to remove inappropriate, divisive, or anti-American sentiments from the Smithsonian, its museums, the Education and Research Center, and the National Zoo.
