Trump administration threatens to cut Smithsonian support in latest claim of ideological bias

The Trump administration is threatening to withdraw support for the Smithsonian Institution, accusing its leadership of presenting a “radical ideology” that weakens “shared American identity” in the latest effort to pressure the institution to change its presentations and practices. The Department of the Interior sent a letter to the Smithsonian last Friday, which the department posted online, laying out the administrations’ criticisms of the institution and requesting an in-person meeting with its board. In the letter, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House domestic policy assistant Vince Haley noted that the Smithsonian “enjoys support for executive departments and agencies” before threatening to sever those relationships. “Those executive departments and agencies cannot in good conscience continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership by, for example, loaning artifacts for exhibits, enabling procurement processes and making discretionary grants,” the letter said. The Smithsonian Institution declined to comment on the letter and on whether any meeting has taken place. The Trump administration has made multiple attempts to influence the Smithsonian, which traditionally has operated independently of the political party in power in Washington. The administration officials alleged in the letter that the museum violated anti-discrimination law and developed a “culture of ideological activism,” and requested a meeting with board members “in person at your earliest convenience to determine how best to address the findings outlined in this letter and identified in the aforementioned report,” a reference to a White House report from July. That report characterized Smithsonian leadership as promoting an ideological stance that moved the institution’s mission “toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.” The report targeted the National Museum of American History in particular, arguing that it “confronts visitors with materials intended to undermine faith in American institutions and the longstanding shared ideals of the American people.” The report, released by the White House Domestic Policy Council, argued that the Smithsonian, “under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.” Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch told staff in a July email obtained by NBC News that the report “is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.” He added that the Smithsonian’s work “is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story.” Later that month, Trump said he was ordering “warning” signs to be placed in front of the Museum of American History to “inform” people about the July report and correct “inaccurate information presented in the Museum.”