Back in February 2017, just months into his first term, then-President Donald Trump toured the brand-new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. His reaction at the time? Pure admiration.
He called the museum “a shining example of African Americans’ incredible contributions to our culture, our society and our history.” Trump praised the exhibits for telling both the story of great struggle and the story of triumph, adding that nothing was more important than his promise to continue freedom for all Americans. He even said the tour reminded him of why we must “fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all its forms.”
Fast forward to 2025 and the tone couldn’t be more different.
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On Tuesday, Trump blasted the Smithsonian on Truth Social, accusing it of being too focused on “how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”He declared, “This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE.”
Trump announced that he has instructed his attorneys to launch a review of Smithsonian museums, with the goal of aligning exhibitions to “celebrate American exceptionalism” and avoid what he calls “divisive or partisan narratives.”
This shift comes amid controversy: the National Museum of American History recently removed an exhibit referencing Trump’s two impeachments, angering Democrats, and Trump reportedly pressured the resignation of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet, the first woman to lead the institution.
The backlash was swift.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) slammed Trump’s remarks on CNN, asking, “Is he a publicist for slavery? It doesn’t make any sense that he would want to erase one of the ugliest things that’s ever happened in America.”
David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Obama, noted the contrast between the Trump of 2017 and today: “I find myself weirdly nostalgic for the @POTUS Trump who once recognized ‘the great struggle for freedom and equality.’ Now he wants to expunge it.”
The Smithsonian itself has not directly responded, but the clash highlights a bigger debate over how America tells its own story one that sits at the heart of the country’s cultural and political divide
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