The White House released a report late on Independence Day branding the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution as “radical activists who cannot be trusted,” escalating President Donald Trump’s effort to reshape one of America’s most prominent cultural institutions. The Domestic Policy Council report, released July 5, 2026, focuses particular criticism on the National Museum of American History and its leadership under Lonnie Bunch, the institution’s first African American secretary.
“The Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic,” the report states. The council, led by a former top Trump speechwriter, added that the museum has “become subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.”
The report represents the culmination of Trump’s escalating campaign against the Smithsonian that began in March 2026, when he signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” That order directed the removal of content deemed “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology” from federal museums and historical sites. The July report indicates Trump may be preparing to install his own team at the Smithsonian, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
The White House Domestic Policy Council’s assessment charges that the National Museum of American History “confronts visitors with materials intended to undermine faith in American institutions and the longstanding shared ideals of the American people.” The report concludes that the museum’s current direction represents “extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country,” moving away from what it characterizes as “straightforward historical education and scholarship.”
Lonnie Bunch, in an unrelated interview that aired on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on the same day the report was released, defended the Smithsonian’s approach to American history. “The notion of being a more perfect union, not the perfect union, is really what motivates me,” Bunch said. He emphasized that understanding how history shaped the nation remains essential: “America’s greatest strength, it’s not running away from its history, but it’s understanding how that history shaped us and continues to shape us.”
Trump’s pressure on the Smithsonian is part of a broader administration effort to reshape American cultural institutions. The president had himself installed as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to overhaul its programming, though a federal judge later ordered his name removed from the building. The administration also forced Columbia University to make policy changes by threatening to withhold federal funding, and won a court ruling allowing it to reinstall interpretive panels at George Washington’s home in Philadelphia that critics say downplay slavery’s history.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a potential 2026 presidential prospect, criticized Trump’s approach during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “There’s not one individual narrative that a president gets about our history,” Shapiro said. “Any president should want to make sure that that full history is shared, that the American people are able to draw their own conclusions. If we understand where we came from, we’re going to have a better path forward.”
The Smithsonian Institution did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. Anthea M. Hartig, the first woman to serve as director of the National Museum of American History, has not yet publicly addressed the White House’s findings.
Sources
- WTOP — White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists; context on report release and Trump’s March executive order
- AP News — Comprehensive reporting on the White House report, Lonnie Bunch’s response, Trump’s broader cultural institution overhaul, and Governor Shapiro’s criticism
