NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” targets the Smithsonian Institution — which has, he contends, “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.” Critics have pushed back, saying the order is an attempt to whitewash American history.
His order is part of a wave of actions against cultural organizations that he alleges have been overtaken by “woke” ideology, from the Kennedy Center to the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Voice of America and PBS are also in his sights.
Trump has tasked Vice President JD Vance to lead the effort to “effectuate the policies” of the executive order, including to ensure no funding goes to “exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.”
Here’s a look at the Smithsonian Institution and what’s going on with it.
What is the Smithsonian?
With an annual budget exceeding $1 billion, the Smithsonian is the “world’s largest museum, education, and research complex,” according to its website.
It was conceived in the 19th century by the British scientist James Smithson, who bequeathed his estate for the purpose of a Washington-based establishment that helps with “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” In 1846, 17 years after Smithson’s death, President James K. Polk signed legislation calling for the Institution’s formation.
The Smithsonian now operates a broad range of cultural centers in Washington and beyond, including the Air and Space Museum, the Portrait Gallery, the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Gardens. Around 60% of its funding is from the federal government, but the Institution also receives money from “trust funds or non-federal funds, which include contributions from private sources,” according to its website.
In his executive order, he made the claim that “the National Museum of African American History and Culture has proclaimed that ‘hard work,’ ‘individualism,’ and ‘the nuclear family’ are aspects of ‘White culture'” and criticized an upcoming exhibit at the American Women’s History Museum that highlights the achievements of trans athletes. He also singled out an exhibit at the American Art Museum that “promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct.”
