{"id":28166,"date":"2025-07-08T14:23:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=28166"},"modified":"2025-07-08T14:23:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T18:23:59","slug":"president-trump-blasts-smithsonian-for-one-sided-divisive-political-narratives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/07\/president-trump-blasts-smithsonian-for-one-sided-divisive-political-narratives","title":{"rendered":"President Trump Blasts Smithsonian For ‘one-sided, divisive political narratives’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: americanhistory.si.edu | Right: Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

President Trump is calling out the Smithsonian, claiming it promotes \u201cone-sided, divisive political narratives.\u201d The Smithsonian has received some criticism for its current content at the Entertainment Nation exhibit at the Smithsonian\u2019s National Museum of American History, which was launched in 2022 and is now a permanent exhibit featuring American pop culture. For example, one 1923 circus poster is accompanied by a placard that reads \u201cUnder the big top, circuses expressed the colonial impulse to claim dominion over the world.\u201d Another beside an image of the Lone Ranger stated, \u201cThe White title character\u2019s relationship with Tonto resembled how the U.S. government imagined itself the world\u2019s Lone Ranger.\u201d One placard went so far as to imply the original appearance of Mickey Mouse in \u201cSteamboat Willie\u201d had racial undertones, noting his \u201coutsized facial features, white gloves, and trickster temperament were vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy.”<\/p>\n

White House official Lindsey Halligan criticized the displays in an email to Fox News Digital<\/em><\/a>, writing, \u201cAmerican taxpayers should not be funding institutions that undermine our country or promote one-sided, divisive political narratives. The Smithsonian Institution should present history in a way that is accurate, balanced, and consistent with the values that make the United States of America exceptional.” She later added that, \u201cThe examples [Fox News Digital] highlighted from the National Museum of American History are part of the problem the Trump Administration aims to fix,” and that \u201cFraming American culture as inherently violent, imperialist, or racist does not reflect the greatness of our nation or the millions of Americans who have contributed to its progress.\u201d Halligan stated the administration would begin an extensive content review.<\/p>\n

The Smithsonian defended its content to Fox News<\/em>. \u201cThe museum is committed to continuous and rigorous scholarship and research and unbiased presentation of facts and history,\u201d it said in a statement. \u201cAs such, and as previously announced, we are assessing content in Smithsonian museums and will make any necessary changes to ensure our content meets our standards.\u201d The move is in line with an executive order Trump signed in March directing the Smithsonian\u2019s Board of Regents to eliminate \u201cimproper, divisive or anti-American ideology.\u201d Trump has pitted himself against \u201crevisionist history,\u201d which critics claim seeks to turn all foundational American heroes, like George Washington, into villains with often racist motivations. President Trump\u2019s critics, however, have accused him of attempting to whitewash history. Those who criticize revisionist history accuse it of having activist intentions rather than solid historical backing or research, such as the 1619 Project, which served to view America\u2019s founding as not one seeking freedom, but one seeking enslavement of African people. \u201cAmericans deserve a Smithsonian that inspires national pride, tells the truth, and reflects the greatness of this country,” Halligan said. “Not one that serves as an agent for social change and cultural subversion.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Trump is calling out the Smithsonian, claiming it promotes \u201cone-sided, divisive political narratives.\u201d The Smithsonian has received some criticism for its current content at the Entertainment Nation exhibit at the Smithsonian\u2019s National Museum of American History, which was launched in 2022 and is now a permanent exhibit featuring American pop culture. For example, one…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":28169,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Trump Blasts Smithsonian For 'one-sided, divisive political narratives'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Trump blasts Smithsonian for \u201cdivisive narratives\u201d in exhibits, vowing content review to ensure history reflects America\u2019s greatness.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/07\/president-trump-blasts-smithsonian-for-one-sided-divisive-political-narratives\" \/>\n<meta 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