Smithsonian Museum faces backlash over activism shift
‘The Ingraham Angle’ host Laura Ingraham exposes how progressive curators inside the Smithsonian are rewriting American history through radical exhibitions. Historian Dr. Jody Edward Ginn analyzes the systemic exclusion of conservative perspectives, noting that a new exhibit features three times more liberal items than conservative ones. Ginn discusses how the progressive shift raises concerns about the political neutralization of America’s national museums.
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President Donald Trump is calling on the Smithsonian to replace a decades-old modernist sculpture outside the National Museum of American History with a towering, 30-foot statue of George Washington.
In social media posts late Friday, Trump said the “Infinity” sculpture that has stood outside the museum since 1967 “says nothing about America,” while Washington, he argued, “more than anyone else, says everything about America.”
Trump also called for the museum to open a five-year exhibition honoring Washington that would run through Feb. 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of the first president’s birth.
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People walking past the “Infinity” sculpture outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History on the National Mall in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Trump also wants the Smithsonian to install an 11-foot statue of Washington in the museum’s Flag Hall by Constitution Day on Sept. 17. The statue was featured at the recent Freedom 250 Grand Prix race.
“Immediately design and display a five-year exhibition worthy of the Life, Sacrifice, and Contributions of George Washington,” Trump wrote.
“Then, as soon as it is ready, install a 30-foot Washington Colossus where ‘Infinity’ stands today,” he added.
“Infinity,” created by New York artist José de Rivera, was commissioned by the federal government and installed outside the museum in 1967.
President Donald Trump has argued the Smithsonian should place greater emphasis on America’s founding principles, national achievements and patriotic history. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
It is unclear whether Trump can order the Smithsonian to make the changes. The institution is outside the executive branch and is overseen by a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Chief Justice John Roberts, lawmakers from both parties and citizen members.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Smithsonian for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump has repeatedly criticized how the Smithsonian presents American history, particularly as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.
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In his posts Friday, he accused the National Museum of American History of giving too little attention to Washington and other Founding Fathers.
Trump singled out Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776 and the American victory at Trenton, saying the museum does not give those events the attention they deserve.
This painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware (by Emanuel Leutze, American, 1816 – 1868), 1851, shows George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on the night of December 25-26, 1776, as part of a surprise sneak attack on the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. (GraphicaArtis via Getty Images)
“He is easily America’s Greatest Hero,” Trump wrote of Washington. “Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist.”
Trump also criticized the Smithsonian’s recently ended Center for Restorative History, an initiative created to spotlight stories that have been excluded from the national historical narrative.
Trump said the museum should instead create a “Center for American Heroes.”
“Tell the stories of Americans who faced great challenges, overcame them, built great things, defended our Country, made America better, and helped our Nation more fully live up to our Founding Ideals,” he wrote.
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Those criticisms have also led to action by the White House.
In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating what the White House called “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology” at the Smithsonian.
The White House followed this year with a report criticizing the Smithsonian, including what it said was a lack of attention to Washington and other Founding Fathers.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In July, Trump ordered his administration to place signs outside the National Museum of American History telling visitors that some exhibits are inaccurate.
In a statement last year, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents said it was committed to keeping the institution nonpartisan and its scholarship free from political or partisan influence.
The board also acknowledged that the Smithsonian “can and must do more” and directed its leadership to ensure museum content is unbiased.
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Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch announced last week that he will step down at the end of the year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.