Trump Orders Installation of Warning Signs Outside Smithsonian Museum
President Donald Trump ordered the Department of the Interior on Friday, July 24, to install content-warning signage outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History along National Park Service–maintained sidewalks and walkways. The signs are to display findings from a recent 162-page administration report accusing the museum of “extreme political activism” and “anti-white” practices, and the order includes language suggesting federal funding could be threatened through compliance reviews tied to “funding or contract conditions.” The Smithsonian, which receives more than $1 billion annually in federal appropriations, declined to comment, and the White House did not provide a timeline for installation. The directive followed testimony on July 21 by museum director Anthea Hartig before the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, where she defended the museum’s mission amid Republican criticism of exhibits addressing issues such as slavery, discrimination, and women’s rights.
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This story was covered in Museums Under Fire, Heritage and Heists Collide