Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills

Slave house exhibit at Smithsonian African American Museum of History and Culture

(Image credit: Andrew Lichtenstein / Corbis via Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump Tuesday ramped up his criticism of the Smithsonian Institution, alleging on social media that its museums were too focused on "how horrible our country is" and "how bad slavery was." He said he wanted the federally funded, independent museum organization to focus on things like "success," "brightness" and "the future," and suggested he would pressure the Smithsonian to comply using the "exact same process that has been done with colleges and universities."

Who said what

Trump has been trying to exert ideological and curatorial control over the Smithsonian for months, and the White House last week gave the organization 120 days to scrub its museums of "divisive or ideologically driven" content. Tuesday's post was the "latest example" of Trump trying to de-emphasize "racism and discrimination" in the U.S. and "instead spotlight a sanitized, rosy depiction of America," The New York Times said.

"It's the epitome of dumbness to criticize the Smithsonian for dealing with the reality of slavery in America," presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told the Times. "It's what led to our Civil War and is a defining aspect of our national history."

What next?

Asked about potential funding cuts, the White House said Trump "will explore all options and avenues to get the Woke out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable." The Smithsonian "receives most of its budget from the U.S. Congress but is independent of the government in decision-making," Reuters said. However, under Trump, the White House has claimed "sweeping authority" to unilaterally "freeze dollars approved by Congress, usurping authority that the legislative branch has under the Constitution," The Washington Post said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.