President Donald Trump has revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution - the world’s largest museum, education and research complex - with an executive order targeting funding for programs that advance “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology."
The order, titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History", targets any ideology that he considers "anti-American", in what is his latest attack on culture he deems too liberal, “woke”, and out of step with conservative sensibilities, according to Euronews.
Trump argues that over the past decade, there has been a “concerted and widespread” effort to rewrite American history, replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth" which portrays the country’s “founding principles” in a “negative light.”
The order grants Vance, who sits on the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, the authority to review and remove content deemed inconsistent with federal law and policy. It also requires him to work with the White House budget office to ensure that federal funding is not allocated to programs that "degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote ideological narratives."
Among the institutions singled out for criticism are the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Women's History Museum, and the American Art Museum. Trump specifically addressed the Women’s History Museum, stating that he wants it to celebrate women and not “recognize men as women in any respect.”
“Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” Trump said.
The order also hints at the potential return of Confederate statues and monuments, many of which were removed across the country following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.
This latest directive follows Trump’s recent appointment as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he has pledged to overhaul programming to align with his administration’s vision for American culture.
