The entrance to the Smithsonian Institution’s Smithsonian Castle in Washington, D.C.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday instructing Vice President JD Vance to remove “divisive, race-focused ideologies” from Smithsonian museums, as well as educational and research institutions, including the National Zoo.
Entitled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the order expresses concern that the Smithsonian Institution, once viewed as a beacon of American quality and a global symbol of cultural achievement, has recently succumbed to a divisive, race-oriented ideology. It claims this shift has propagated narratives that depict American and Western principles as inherently damaging and oppressive. Furthermore, it asserts, “Our nation’s museums should serve as educational spaces, not as platforms for ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that warp our shared history.”
The order directs Vance, in collaboration with Vince Haley, the assistant to the president for domestic policy, and Lindsey Halligan, the special assistant to the president and senior associate staff secretary, to coordinate with Congress in order to stop the Smithsonian from receiving funding for exhibitions and programs that “undermine shared American values, create racial divisions, or promote actions or beliefs that contradict federal law and policy.” Additionally, it aims for future appropriations to “honor the achievements of women in the American Women’s History Museum” and insists upon the non-recognition of men as women in any context within the museum.
NPR has reached out to the Smithsonian for a response, but has yet to receive a reply.
The executive directive also mandates the selection of citizen members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents who are dedicated to furthering the policy outlined in the order.
This latest initiative follows a series of executive orders by the president since taking office in January, aimed at reversing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies previously endorsed by federal entities, including the National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America program, which focused on supporting smaller non-profits serving “historically underserved communities” lacking access to the arts due to factors like geography, ethnicity, and economics.
This recent executive order attributes blame to the Biden Administration for promoting a “corrosive ideology” that it claims aims to reshape historical truths. The order states, “In recent years, Americans have experienced a deliberate and extensive campaign to rewrite our nation’s history, supplanting factual accounts with a distorted narrative motivated by ideology instead of reality.” It continues, “Under this misguided narrative, our nation’s extraordinary legacy of promoting liberty, individual rights, and human well-being is recast as inherently racist, misogynistic, oppressive, or otherwise irreparably flawed.”
The order includes provisions to restore public monuments, memorials, and statues that have been “removed or modified to promote a false interpretation of American history, unduly downplay certain historical events or figures, or introduce any other improper partisan ideology,” as well as enhance the infrastructure of Independence National Historical Park in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
