Smithsonian head says White House report unfairly characterized US history museum
Bunch said the museum remains committed to scholarship and nonpartisanship after the 162-page report accused it of ideological capture.
- Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III sent staff a memo on Tuesday defending the National Museum of American History, calling a White House report alleging "extreme political activism" an unfair characterization of the institution's work.
- The White House released a 162-page document on Saturday criticizing the museum for alleged political activism, serving as the catalyst for Bunch III's internal defense and the broader institutional response.
- A Smithsonian spokesperson stated that "For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public" with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, reaffirming the institution's core commitment to those principles.
- The Organization of American Historians condemned the White House report as "part of an ongoing and multi-pronged assault" by the Trump administration against accurate, evidence-based history in American public life.
- Bunch III wrote that the Smithsonian "continue to review the report and its findings carefully," acknowledging room for improvement while remaining committed to excellence, reflection, and institutional growth.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Smithsonian pushes back on White House report labeling it ‘extreme’
The Smithsonian Institution has responded to the White House’s 162-page document released over the July Fourth holiday weekend criticizing the group and the National Museum of American History for “extreme political activism.” In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch wrote to staff members that he and other officials were still reviewing the White House’s document and said it “is not a fair characteriz…
'An attempt to turn back the clock': Woke historians melt down over exposé of Smithsonian's ideological rot
The White House's Domestic Policy Council dropped a 162-page report on Independence Day titled "Saving America's Story" that exposes the radicalism infecting the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.The report highlighted various manifestations of "extreme political activism" under Director Anthea Hartig — from the NMAH's characterization of Mickey Mouse as a vestige of "blackface minstrelsy" to its propagation of a tool…
Smithsonian pushes back on Trump’s criticism of the American History museum
The Trump administration has opened a new front in its yearlong feud with Washington’s iconic Smithsonian Institution, the steward of 21 museums, the National Zoo and 14 research and education centers for 180 years.
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