Trump is right about the problems at the Smithsonian

America’s federal museums are unique. The Smithsonian Institution museums and galleries, mostly located in Washington D.C., have millions of annual visitors and admission is almost always free. People of all ages and from all walks of life come to learn about our nation’s past, present and future.

But President Trump is not happy with the Smithsonian’s recent course. In a Truth Social post in August, Trump lambasted the Smithsonian and other museums as “the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’” He further critiqued them for discussing “how horrible our country is,” with “Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”

Trump announced that his administration would be combing through the Smithsonian institutions to investigate. This statement came on the heels of his earlier executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directed Vice President JD Vance to lead a systematic rework of the Smithsonian.

Trump’s call was immediately decried by Democrats and members of the media. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said it was “outrageous and un-American.” Sarah Weicksel, executive director of the American Historical Association, told CNN that the move placed at risk “the integrity and accuracy of historical interpretation.” Calling it “political interference,” she said that Trump’s move would “diminish our shared past and threaten to erode the public’s trust in our shared institutions.”

But Weicksel’s statements reflect exactly why the administration should ignore the teeth-gnashing and go full-bore toward redoing the Smithsonian museums: because they are already subject to political interference.

Continue reading in The Hill.