Don’t Let Trump Turn the Smithsonian & Museums Into State Propaganda

This Trump-led review of Smithsonian exhibits is not harmless oversight. It is a dangerous rewrite of history. The order to revise museum content to promote so-called unity and patriotism while removing anything deemed divisive is an authoritarian power grab. It demands changes at places like the National Museum of African American History and Culture under a tight deadline, and it is rooted in ideology, not truth. This is how autocrats operate. Dictators throughout history have rewritten the past to reshape the present. When governments erase facts or force institutions to present only a flattering version of events, they are not preserving history—they are destroying it. We already saw this year how mentions of Trump’s impeachments were quietly removed from an exhibit, only to be restored with softened language after public outcry. That should never happen in a country that claims to value truth. We must act now. Congress should pass laws to protect our museums and cultural institutions from political interference. Hearings must be held. These institutions must remain independent and committed to presenting the full truth of our past. Democracy depends on it. Not slogans. Not revisionism. Truth.