Trump executive order targets Smithsonian and federal museums over historical interpretation

President Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to review exhibitions, educational materials, and commemorative programs at the Smithsonian Institution and other federally funded cultural institutions for what the order described as divisive ideology and inaccurate historical narratives. The order named diversity-themed exhibitions and programs related to the history of race, gender, and immigration as particular targets. It directed agency heads to remove content that did not align with what the order called truth and sanity in American history. The Smithsonian operates 21 museums and the National Zoo, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Air and Space Museum. Curators and historians employed by federal cultural institutions immediately faced uncertainty about which exhibitions could be altered or dismantled under the order. The directive extended the anti-DEI campaign from universities and research agencies directly into public history institutions.