San Francisco Frontiers - Trump orders disclaimer signs outside museum of American history

The highly unusual move marks the 80-year-old Republican's latest battle in his ideological war on American cultural institutions and monuments, some of which he has renamed for himself and renovated to his liking despite legal challenges.

The order calls on federal officials to "install temporary signage" on public walkways outside the building to "notify visitors that the Museum exhibits should be renovated" to reflect "accurate information regarding America's history."

It comes days after Anthea Hartig, historian and director of the National Museum of American History, testified before a US House subcommittee and faced harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers.

She highlighted how the museum's displays include "the desk on which Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence... Abraham Lincoln's top hat from the night he was assassinated, the Greensboro lunch counter, the gowns of the first ladies" and more.

In Tuesday's hearing, Republican congressman Tim Burchett said he felt the Smithsonian has "become infected by a woke ideology" to highlight American oppression.

Democrat Melanie Stansbury denounced that view, criticizing the Trump administration's broad crackdown on cultural and academic centers.

"This administration has launched an unprecedented effort to interfere in how American history is told, researched, interpreted, presented, and taught -- not just in the Smithsonian, but in our schools, in our institutes of higher education, and through and across the federal government," Stansbury said.

- 'White, male and Christian' -

The president's order cites a 162-page White House report from March, that accuses the Smithsonian of failing to highlight the "constructive role of Christian belief."

"White, male, and Christian Americans are regularly denigrated as the alleged embodiment of oppressive power structures," the report said.

Hartig told lawmakers that while the White House report is under review, "we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum."

The Smithsonian Institution, founded nearly two centuries ago, is a Washington mainstay whose 21 museums are largely dedicated to US history and culture, as well as art.

Trump fired the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery Kim Sajet in May 2025, calling her "a highly partisan person."

Last August he slammed the Smithsonian for being "out of control" and highlighting the horrors of slavery while showing "nothing about success."

Among other efforts to renovate or rewrite history, Trump also imposed a forceful overhaul of Washington's storied Kennedy Center, putting his name on the building, before a court order forced the removal of his name in June.

O.Anderson--SFF