Mallory Wilson | August 20, 2025
(The Washington Times) — President Trump said Tuesday he’s getting his administration’s lawyers involved against what he calls the “woke” habits of the Smithsonian museums in Washington.
“The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ’WOKE,’” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday.
“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,” he wrote. “We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.”
“This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,” he said.
The White House last week told the Smithsonian Institution that it was launching an internal review of its exhibitions and materials, in accordance with the president’s March executive order to rid the institution of “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology.”
“As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s founding, it is more important than ever that our national museums reflect the unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story,” a letter to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch said.
“This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” said the letter released last week and signed by White House officials Lindsey Halligan, Vince Haley and Russell Vought.
It said initially the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the National Museum of the American Indian, will be reviewed, but additional museums will be combed through during phase II.
The letter said within 120 days, museums should implement “content corrections,” which could mean “replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials.”
The Smithsonian said in a statement that its work “is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history.”
A display in the Natural Museum of American History was recently scrutinized after a temporary display of the president’s impeachments was removed from an exhibit, with critics saying it showed the institution was yielding to the president’s demands.
The impeachment display was later restored to include Mr. Trump’s name, and the institution defended itself.
“The intent of the ’Impeachment’ section of the exhibit is to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history,” it said in a statement. “The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a 25-year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation. It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case.
“For these reasons, we removed the placard. We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit. The section in question, ’Impeachment,’ will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history,” the statement said.
