White House says Smithsonian 'cannot be trusted'

The White House released a 162-page report on the night of July Fourth that accused the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History of "ideological capture" and concluded the institution "cannot be trusted to tell America's story honestly."

The report, titled "Saving America's Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage," was published by the Domestic Policy Council as the country marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

It is the product of a monthslong review ordered by President Donald Trump's March 2025 executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."

The order directed the vice president, as a Smithsonian regent, to "remove improper ideology" from the institution and authorized the Office of Management and Budget to block spending on exhibits inconsistent with federal policy.

The report lists no named authors. Its cover page misdates the executive order to March 27, 2026, one year after it was signed, though the document cites the correct year elsewhere.

"For purposes of policy formulation under EO 14253, this review of the National Museum of American History concludes that NMAH, by the intention and at the direction of current Museum and Smithsonian leadership, has become subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love," the report concludes.

A Smithsonian spokesperson pushed back in a statement to CNN and The Hill on Sunday.

"For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so," the spokesperson said.

The report's five key findings claimed that the museum failed to substantively present the nation's founders, "problematized" the 250th anniversary, removed "American history" from its mission statement, abandoned scholarship for political activism, and failed to meet its obligations to the public.

Much of the document is built around public statements by Anthea Hartig, the museum's director since 2019, drawn from recorded lectures, panel appearances, and museum publications, documents show.

The report cites Hartig describing history as a "prime tool of social justice," saying her role includes connecting "research and scholarship to activism and advocacy," and telling a 2020 university audience that the museum field would have to figure out how to "problematize" the Declaration's 250th anniversary.

It also faults the museum's 2021 interpretive plan, which directs staff to connect exhibits to seven "core issues of our time" — including race, gender and sexuality, climate change, immigration and economic inequality — and devotes chapters to the museum's immigration programming, its treatment of gender in youth-facing exhibits and a staff reading group organized around an anti-racism toolkit.

The museum's programming for the semiquincentennial, "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness," opened May 14 and spans all 250,000 square feet of the building, records show. The report said the exhibition fails to celebrate the founders or the founding and notes the museum held no special Independence Day programming in 2025 or 2026.

The document closes with a suggestion that the museum post a label at every entrance reading: "Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don't want you to love your country."

The Smithsonian receives roughly two-thirds of its annual funding from Congress, amounting to more than $1.08 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2026, the report said.

The report did not announce personnel or funding actions but said its findings are intended for "policy formulation" under the executive order.

A post about the report in the r/washingtondc subreddit, a community for district residents, drew nearly 1,000 upvotes and dozens of comments within a day — most of them critical of the White House.

"Just went through this report, and it is atrocious," wrote one user posting under the handle Cool-Chipmunk-7559, adding that its authors "ridiculously cherry picked" details as small as the background of a photograph of the director. "I really hope the Smithsonian survives this administration."

"I've been to this museum and really enjoyed my visit. It challenged the visitor and that's what history should do," wrote another user, CalmIce5276, arguing the report relies on a definition of history articulated before the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement.

Another commenter, cudmore, questioned who was paid to write the unsigned report, federal employees or outside contractors, and asked whether the answer could be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

"It's a museum, not everything in it is positive. These images, artifacts and displays should represent the good and bad in America," wrote a user posting as lustforluvv.

The report landed the same night thousands of Trump supporters attending the president's Salute to America celebration were evacuated from the National Mall ahead of severe thunderstorms. Many sheltered in the National Museum of American History and National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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