Trump Criticizes ‘Inappropriate Ideology’ of Leading U.S. Museums Through Executive Order | US News
Donald Trump has set his sights on some of America’s most prominent museums and has tasked Vice President JD Vance with eliminating “improper ideology” from these institutions.
The former president has accused the Smithsonian Institution of endorsing “corrosive ideology” along with “divisive” and “race-centered” concepts.
On Thursday, he signed an executive order directing Mr. Vance, who is a member of the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents, to purge “improper ideology” from every aspect of the institution, which includes 21 museums and the National Zoo.
The Smithsonian receives partial funding from the U.S. government.
File pic: AP
This initiative represents Mr. Trump’s ongoing criticism of U.S. cultural institutions that he perceives as overly liberal.
Recently, he appointed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and replaced board members with political allies.
In his executive order, the president noted that the Smithsonian once symbolized “American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement.”
However, he contended that it has recently “come under the sway of a divisive, race-centered ideology.”
Trump accused the institution of promoting narratives that depict American and Western values as “inherently harmful and oppressive.”
He asserted that there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort over the last decade to distort American history by substituting “objective facts” with a “warped narrative influenced by ideology rather than truth,” which he argued casts the “founding principles” of the United States in a “negative light.”
Some interpret this as a hint towards reinstating statues and monuments of Confederate figures, many of which were removed following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
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‘Authoritarianism coming for the arts’
The Smithsonian describes itself on its website as “the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, consisting of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers.”
Founded in 1846 by the U.S. Congress, it is tasked with narrating the country’s story and is often called “America’s attic.” It also oversees the National Zoo located in Washington.
The institution receives 62% of its funding from the federal government, according to The Washington Post.
Sky News has reached out to the Smithsonian Institution for a response.
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The order also mandates enhancements to Independence Hall in Philadelphia by July 4, 2026, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence signing.
Mr. Trump’s administration has also targeted institutions such as Columbia University in New York, threatening to retract $400m (£3.1m) unless it took action to curb the “persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
The university, whose students actively protested against U.S. policies in Gaza, reportedly agreed to implement extensive reforms, according to Sky’s U.S. partner, NBC News.
