Is the Smithsonian Overemphasizing the Harsh Realities of Slavery According to Trump?

Trump made the comments a week after the White House told the Smithsonian that its museums would be required to adjust any content that the administration finds problematic in “tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals” within 120 days. Taken together, the administration’s examination and Trump’s post Tuesday were the latest example of Trump trying to impose his will on a cultural institution and minimize the experiences and history of Black people in the United States. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” Trump said in a social media post. “This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums.” WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump accused the Smithsonian Institution Tuesday of focusing too much on “how bad slavery was” and not enough on the “brightness” of America as his administration conducts a wide-ranging review of the content in its museum exhibits. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up “It’s the epitome of dumbness to criticize the Smithsonian for dealing with the reality of slavery in America,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian. “It’s what led to our Civil War and is a defining aspect of our national history. And the Smithsonian deals in a robust way with what slavery was, but it also deals with human rights and civil rights in equal abundance.” Advertisement Since taking office, Trump has led an effort to purge diversity, equity and inclusion policies from the federal government and threatened to investigate companies and schools that adopt such policies. He has tried to reframe the country’s past involving racism and discrimination by de-emphasizing that history, preferring to instead spotlight a sanitized, rosy depiction of America. Advertisement The administration has worked to scrub or minimize government references to the contributions of Black heroes, from the Tuskegee Airmen, who fought in World War II, to Harriet Tubman, who guided enslaved people along the Underground Railroad. Trump commemorated Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States that became a federal holiday in 2021, by complaining that there were too many non-working holidays in America. He has called for the return of Confederate insignia and statues honoring those who fought to preserve slavery. And he has previously attacked the exhibits on race at the Smithsonian, which has traditionally operated as an independent institution that regards itself as outside the purview of the executive branch, as “divisive, race-centered ideology.” Trump’s comments also ignore the breadth of the displays in Smithsonian museums. While the National Museum of African American History and Culture, for example, does include exhibits on the Middle Passage and slavery, it also showcases civil rights and cultural icons in Black history. The director of that museum, Kevin Young, stepped down this spring as Trump increasingly targeted the Smithsonian and its museum intended to tell the African American story for all Americans. Trump has often stoked divisions in the United States by tapping into white grievance and framing himself as a protector of white people both in the United States and overseas. Quentin James, a co-founder of the Collective, which aims to elect Black officials in America, said Trump’s comments about the museums were an attempt to protect “white fragility.” Advertisement “For all of us, it’s an assault on our history and an assault on what we know to be true,” James said, while for Trump it is about “white grievance and him exerting his authority.” The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Trump added in the social media post that he had instructed his lawyers “to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities.” His administration has pursued an effort to investigate universities that have adopted diversity, equity and inclusion programs, leading to court fights, funding battles and, in many cases, the removal of diversity initiatives. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.