The president has accused the Smithsonian of having ‘come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology’ in recent years.
President Donald Trump has instructed legal experts to review “woke” installations in museums nationwide.
According to an Aug. 19 post on Truth Social, the president believes that museums are the “last remaining segment of ‘WOKE,’” and he wants to address the issue the same way his administration has treated colleges and universities.
Trump pointed specifically to a Washington, D.C., icon as a demonstration 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.”
According to the president, 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,” where he said there has been substantial progress.
“This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,” Trump said.
The president referenced the way his administration has reviewed the policies of major institutions of higher learning and, in some cases, withheld funding to those found to be allegedly in violation of federal policies.
The White House on Aug. 12 sent a letter to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, stating that the administration is conducting an internal review of portions of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions to ensure that the content is in alignment with the president’s March executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
The president said in the order that the Smithsonian, “once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement,” has “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” in recent years and “has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
“It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing,” Trump said in the order. “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”
