Trump dines with Smithsonian director amid push to remove ‘divisive’ narratives from institution
The article reports that President Donald Trump recently met and dined with Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch at the White House as part of an ongoing White House review of the Smithsonian for political bias. This meeting included Lindsey Halligan,a Trump adviser tasked by an executive order to oversee efforts to remove what the governance sees as “improper ideology” or “woke” narratives from Smithsonian exhibits. The Smithsonian, which encompasses 21 museums and the National Zoo, receives over $1 billion in federal funding and has faced scrutiny from the Trump administration for promoting what it views as partisan and divisive content.
Secretary Bunch has expressed willingness to cooperate with White House officials to ensure that Smithsonian content is historically accurate, nonpartisan, and aligned with the institution’s values of scholarship and fairness. Earlier, Bunch announced an internal review aimed at addressing concerns about ideological bias in exhibits. Following the White House’s call for government vetting of Smithsonian content, Trump criticized the institution for focusing excessively on negative aspects of American history, such as slavery and oppression, without highlighting themes of success and optimism.
Trump’s directive includes oversight by Lindsey Halligan, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Vice President J.D. Vance (who serves on the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents). halligan stated that “weaponizing history” by emphasizing only negative elements can be divisive. The administration’s actions reflect a broader push to reshape how the Smithsonian portrays American history to emphasize what they consider a more balanced and uplifting narrative.
Trump dines with Smithsonian director amid push to remove ‘divisive’ narratives from institution
President Donald Trump met at the White House this week with Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch as his administration investigates the country’s leading cultural center for bias.
Trump dined with Bunch on Thursday, the Smithsonian Institution confirmed on Friday.
A White House official said the lunch meeting was “productive and cordial.” Lindsey Halligan, a Florida property lawyer turned Trump adviser who was directed in the president’s March executive order to lead efforts “to remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian, also attended the meeting, the official told the Washington Examiner.
The sprawling and prestigious Smithsonian portfolio boasts 21 museums, the National Zoo, and other education and research centers, many of which are located in Washington.
The Smithsonian has been scrutinized in recent months by Trump due to concerns that it is spending taxpayer dollars to promote “woke,” partisan, and divisive ideologies in many of its exhibits at museum campuses.
The Smithsonian is a major recipient of federal funding, taking over $1 billion from the government last year.
As head of the Smithsonian, Bunch has proved largely amicable to working with the White House to resolve concerns that the institution has become more interested in furthering leftist narratives than rendering a factual account of history.
In June, Bunch announced an internal review would take place to root out targeted ideologies.
“While the vast majority of our content is rooted in meticulous research and thoughtful analysis of history and facts, we recognize that, on occasion, some of our work has not aligned with our institutional values of scholarship, even-handedness, and nonpartisanship,” he wrote in an email to staff.
Earlier this month, the White House announced plans to have government officials vet exhibits and carry out content reviews at the Smithsonian to ensure they “support a broader vision of excellence that highlights historically accurate, uplifting, and inclusive portrayals of America’s heritage.”
Days later, Trump issued a personal announcement that his attorneys would start to “go through the Museums” and examine them for materials deemed concerning by the administration.
“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” the president said.
Bunch has so far been cooperative with the White House review, saying it is committed to an “accurate, factual presentation of history,” and will “continue to collaborate constructively with the White House, Congress, and our governing Board of Regents.”
SMITHSONIAN REMOVES MENTION OF TRUMP IN IMPEACHMENT EXHIBIT AFTER REVIEW OF BIAS CONTENT
Trump has directed Halligan, the White House adviser who met with the president and Bunch over lunch on Thursday, to oversee investigations into the Smithsonian, alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Vice President JD Vance, who is, by law, part of the institution’s board.
“I would say that improper ideology would be weaponizing history,” Halligan told the Washington Post in April. “We don’t need to overemphasize the negative to teach people that certain aspects of our nation’s history may have been bad.” That overemphasis “just makes us grow further and further apart.”
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
