Trump Demands Smithsonian Documents Ahead of 250th Anniversary

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Equality
Trump Demands Smithsonian Documents Ahead of 250th Anniversary


The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of Natural History in Washington.Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

By Gregory Korte
December 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM EST

The White House is raising the pressure on the Smithsonian Institution to turn over extensive internal records as part of a broader effort to assert control over how US history is presented — and threatening to withhold congressionally authorized funding if it doesn’t comply by Jan. 13.

“We wish to be assured that none of the leadership of the Smithsonian museums is confused about the fact that the United States has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world,” according to a Thursday letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch. “The American people will have no patience for any museum that is diffident about America’s founding or otherwise uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history."

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Art
White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review

“American people will have no patience” for any museum that is “uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history,” read a letter from Trump aides.

Updated
December 20, 2025 at 7:13 p.m. EST yesterday at 7:13 p.m.


Visitors tour the Smithsonian’s “America’s Presidents” exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in June. At left is a portrait of President Donald Trump, taken by Washington Post photographer Matt McClain. (Valerie Plesch/For The Washington Post)

By Kelsey Ables

The Trump administration escalated pressure on the Smithsonian this week, threatening to withhold federal funds if it does not submit extensive documentation for a sweeping content review. President Donald Trump earlier this year set out to purge what he called “improper ideology” from the nation’s most prestigious museum system, efforts that are expected to intensify as his administration tries to shape the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations next year.

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America 250
White House pressures Smithsonian for internal records, warns funding could be withheld: report

Trump administration sets deadline for museum records ahead of America 250, warns of budget consequences

By Jasmine Baehr Fox News
Published December 19, 2025 7:46pm EST

The White House is escalating pressure on the Smithsonian Institution, demanding extensive internal records and warning that congressionally authorized funding could be withheld if the museum system does not comply by a mid-January deadline, according to a report by Bloomberg.

In a letter sent Thursday to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said the administration wants assurances that Smithsonian leadership is prepared to present American history in a positive light as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026.

"We wish to be assured that none of the leadership of the Smithsonian museums is confused about the fact that the United States has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world," the letter said, according to Bloomberg.

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