WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the installation of temporary warning signs outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, advising visitors that certain exhibits may offer a distorted account of America's past.
The order follows a White House report released on July 4 that questioned whether the museum has deviated from its founding mission. The report encourages visitors to consult additional historical resources as the nation marks its 250th anniversary of independence.
Critics immediately labeled the order censorship and an authoritarian tactic, calling it another move in the ongoing culture war.
For more than a decade, many U.S. universities and cultural institutions advocated for warnings before challenging historical content, lectures or monuments — including trigger warnings, content advisories and sensitivity notices across public life.
The White House report makes specific allegations against the museum. It contends the museum lacks a major exhibit dedicated to the founding era — including figures like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson or events like the Revolution — even as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.
The report quotes museum leadership describing history as a "prime tool of social justice," aimed at connecting "scholarship to activism and advocacy." It also notes the words "American history" were removed from the museum's mission statement.
Materials associated with the museum have framed "politeness" and "objectivity" as characteristics of "white supremacy culture." In 2020, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, then led by Lonnie Bunch, posted a graphic listing traits such as individualism and hard work as "aspects and assumptions of whiteness"; it later removed the graphic after criticism.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) confronted museum director Anthea Hartig with these documents during a July 2025 hearing. Hartig has said she views history as "a prime tool of social justice."
MSNBC's "The Weekend" discussed the executive order on July 26. Panelists including Eugene Daniels and Eugene Robinson questioned who gets to tell America's story. Robinson called the signs an "admission of defeat" and "kinda weak," suggesting Trump had been unable to change exhibits directly.
Yale historian David W. Blight, a past president of the Organization of American Historians, described the administration's criticism as "nothing less than a hyper-ideological group attacking a nonideological institution." Blight's comments were cited on the program by co-host Jackie Alemany.
The Organization of American Historians, the main professional body for U.S. historians, is classified as left-of-center by Influence Watch. It issued a statement condemning the White House's July 4 "Saving America's Story" report, consistent with its public positions on race, identity and opposition to efforts curbing DEI-oriented approaches.
