Trump orders signs outside Smithsonian to promote accurate history

President Donald Trump on Friday ordered his administration to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History directing visitors to what the White House describes as “accurate” information about the nation’s past.

The executive order directs the National Park Service, which maintains the sidewalks outside the museum, to install signs informing visitors about the White House report released July 4 that criticized the Smithsonian’s portrayal of American history. Trump also directed the creation of a temporary exhibit aimed at correcting historical information his administration considers inaccurate.

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The move follows a report from Trump’s Domestic Policy Council that accused the Smithsonian and National Museum of American History of failing to present history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

Because the Smithsonian operates independently of the executive branch, Trump cannot directly remove museum leadership or unilaterally alter exhibits. Instead, the order targets federal properties outside the museum that fall under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.

Anthea M. Hartig, Director of the National Museum of American History, defended the museum in congressional testimony this week.

“As we continue to fact-check the report, we unequivocally confirm that it does not fairly and accurately describe the entire body of work at the museum,” Hartig told MPs. “There is always room for improvement. But I also know the beauty, inspiration and expertise that lies in our collections, exhibitions and programs.”

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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is being called out for being ‘ideologically hijacked’ and evoking revisionist history on the weekend of America’s 250th birthday. (Kevin Carter)

Friday’s order builds on Trump’s broader efforts to reshape Smithsonian exhibits.

In March, Trump signed an executive order directing the Smithsonian Board of Trustees to remove what the administration describes as “inappropriate, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from the institution’s museums.

The White House later criticized the National Museum of American History’s “Entertainment Nation” exhibit, arguing that exhibits about American pop culture frame the nation’s history through an ideological lens rather than celebrating its achievements. White House official Lindsey Halligan previously told Fox News Digital that “American taxpayers should not fund institutions that undermine our country or promote one-sided, divisive political narratives.”

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People walk on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2021. President Donald Trump has ordered signs placed outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History directing visitors to a White House report criticizing the museum’s portrayal of American history. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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At the time, the Smithsonian said it was reviewing the museum’s contents and was committed to “consistent and rigorous scholarship and research and unbiased presentation of facts and history.”

The Smithsonian is overseen by a Board of Trustees consisting of Vice President J.D. Vance, Chief Justice John Roberts, members of Congress, and citizen representatives. The agency receives roughly two-thirds of its nearly $1 billion annual budget from federal grants.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.