Trump Orders Smithsonian Museums To Remove ‘Improper, Divisive’ Ideology

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to eliminate what it describes as "improper ideology" across all branches of the Smithsonian Institution, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).

The Details: The order is directed at removing what Trump considers "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo. The executive order is part of Trump’s pushback on the "effort to rewrite our Nation's history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth." The order specifically targets the NMAAHC for promoting “divisive narratives” and states the American Women’s History Museum will not be allowed to host exhibitions including information on transgender individuals. 

Key Quote: The order states, “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… This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” It also orders the restoration of memorials, federal parks, monuments, markers and statues that have been “improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.”

How The Media Covered It: Newsweek (Center bias) emphasized the backlash online, including quotes from volunteers at the museum social media users criticizing Trump's order as an attempt to erase African American history. The Epoch Times (Lean Right) limited mentions of the NMAAHC focusing more on the general efforts of the order and did not quote anyone who opposed the order. NPR (Lean Left) contextualized the order in the removal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives from federal agencies and quoted a professor against the order.

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