The museum reportedly told visitors that “Wild West shows turned the subjugation of Indigenous people into theater,” and that Mickey Mouse represents “vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy.”
The Trump administration has renewed its criticism of the Smithsonian, accusing the National Museum of American History of promoting “extreme political activism” instead of objective history.
On July 4, the White House released a report concluding that the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History had strayed from its mission of educating. The report was a response to a March executive order from President Donald Trump titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” and claimed that “ideological capture has moved the Museum’s mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.”
According to the White House, the museum has been attempting to indoctrinate students and teachers with its exhibits, accusing it of being "subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love."
The museum’s Entertainment National exhibit, which is featured in the Smithsonian’s programming for America’s 250th anniversary, taught that P.T. Barnum’s circus symbols reflect “concerns about maintaining white supremacy.” It also told visitors that “Ukuleles are both a product of U.S. imperialism and a potent symbol of Native Hawaiian resistance,” that “Wild West shows turned the subjugation of Indigenous people into theater,” and that Mickey Mouse represents “vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackface minstrelsy.”
The White House took issue with museum director Anthea Hartig by name, who has led the National Museum of American History since 2019.
“That shift from history to activism is clearly documented in this report,” the report states. “Anthea Hartig, NMAH’s director since 2019, has explicitly stated that she sees history as a ‘prime tool of social justice’ and one of her roles as connecting ‘research and scholarship to activism and advocacy.’”
The report noted Hartig’s belief that the museum profession has to “figure out” how to “problematize” the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. She also reportedly believed that “loving America is very complicated,” and that objects in the Museum’s collection should be “used to move attention away from an ‘Anglo-centric’ focus on the American Founding.”
“These are not the words of an objective historian, but rather those of an activist advancing an ideological agenda contradictory to the Museum’s founding purpose of fostering patriotism,” the report determined.
Most concerningly, the White House noted a series of sexually suggestive materials inappropriate for young children in its exhibits. Among these included magazine covers featuring nude young women, a rubber “crotch harness designed for sadomasochism sexual activity,” and pages from a six-year-old girl’s diary where she expressed fear about “getting boobs” and wished for a nonexistent “penis to grow.”
The administration argued in the report that the National Museum of American History should present the nation’s story “clearly and fairly” by sharing the “achievements and failures of the Nation and the extraordinary men and women of every color and creed who shaped its course.”
“It should tell the truth, including of the Nation’s mistakes and injustices, but it should do so within a coherent account of a people striving, often imperfectly but more often nobly, to live up to our founding principles of liberty and equality under a republican form of government. It should especially teach the history of an American nation that is worthy of our affections and worth passing along to future generations,” the report stated.
On Tuesday, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III rejected the White House’s characterization in a memo to employees.
"While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History,” Bunch wrote. “At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America's story. As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope and clarity and as part of that duty, we are dedicated to excellence, reflection and growth."
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