White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can't be trusted

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Last edited Sun Jul 5, 2026, 04:47 PM - Edit history (2)

Source: The Associated Press via WTOP

White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can't be trusted

The Associated Press
July 5, 2026, 1:53 PM


FILE - The Smithsonian Museum of American History is pictured on the National Mall in Washington, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

NEW YORK (AP) -- A White House report brands the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, indicating that President Donald Trump may be preparing to install his own team.

The report released late on Independence Day by the White House Domestic Policy Council comes in the midst of Trump's aggressive campaign to overhaul some of Washington's most sacred cultural and historic institutions. Trump in March revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targeted funding for programs that advanced "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology," as he continued a broadside against culture he deems too liberal.

"The Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America's story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic," according to the report by the council, which is led by a former top Trump speechwriter. ... The authors added: "As this report shows, confirmed in the words of Museum leadership, this 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."

The Smithsonian did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.

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Read more: https://wtop.com/government/2026/07/white-house-report-brands-smithsonian-leadership-as-radical-activists-who-cant-be-trusted/

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https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Smithsonian-Report-Saving-Americas-Story.pdf
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https://apnews.com/article/trump-smithsonian-leadership-activists-history-museum-cda2e8cff29f56a34e5a5d510bb45cda

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"Our nation was robbed." Reddit poster: Smithsonian was denied a permit for a 250th Folklife festival on the mall.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10182328151

https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1ueelg6/does_anyone_actually_know_whats_going_on_at_the/