President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that the White House is reviewing the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, expressing frustration with what he described as an excessive emphasis on slavery and other painful chapters of American history.
“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was … Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump said he has instructed his attorneys to begin a process similar to the administration’s recent reviews of colleges and universities. The Smithsonian declined to comment.
According to ABC News, the White House review comes ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 and will examine eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, and the National Air and Space Museum.
In 2017, Trump praised the African American History museum as “incredible” and “a truly great museum,” highlighting abolitionist leaders like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. His current stance, however, marks a significant shift in tone.
Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
Exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.