Lonnie G. Bunch III Defended the National Museum of American History After the Trump White House Accused Smithsonian Leaders of “Extreme Political Activism”
Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first Black secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, is pushing back after the Trump White House accused one of the nation’s most prominent museums of promoting a politically driven version of American history.
In an email to Smithsonian staff, Bunch said a sweeping White House report released on July 4 did not fairly represent the National Museum of American History or the broader work of the institution.
“While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History,” Bunch wrote in the staff memo, according to Reuters. “We continue to review the report and its findings carefully.”
Bunch, who has led the Smithsonian since 2019, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to presenting a complete account of the nation’s past.
“At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story,” he wrote.
White House Accuses Museum Of ‘Extreme Political Activism’
The dispute follows the July 4 release of a 162-page White House report titled “Saving America’s Story.” Issued by the Domestic Policy Council, the report accuses the National Museum of American History of ideological bias and argues that Smithsonian leadership has moved away from traditional scholarship toward “extreme political activism.”
The White House’s criticism takes particular aim at how the museum presents slavery, racism, immigration and other parts of the American story. According to the administration, the museum portrays the country as being defined primarily by oppression and systemic injustice rather than giving sufficient attention to the nation’s founding ideals and achievements.
One passage cited in the report argues that the museum’s current presentation defines the country “above all” through white supremacy, slavery, conquest, racism, xenophobia, misogyny and systemic injustice.
The White House instead argues that museums should place greater emphasis on the Founders’ ideas and what the administration describes as America’s role in inspiring movements that eventually helped end slavery.
That argument has intensified a much broader fight over who gets to decide how the United States tells its own history — particularly when that history includes slavery, racial violence and the experiences of Black Americans.
The White House report is part of an ongoing Trump administration campaign to reshape historical presentation at federal and national cultural institutions. In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” directing a review of what the administration described as divisive or anti-American narratives at public institutions.
The administration later sought reviews of Smithsonian exhibitions and public-facing materials, saying the effort was intended to align presentations with “American ideals” and a more celebratory view of the nation’s history.
Historians Warn Against Political Control Of American History
The Organization of American Historians has sharply condemned the White House report, describing it as part of a broader attack on accurate, evidence-based history and rejecting efforts to pressure museum professionals into presenting history according to a presidential administration’s preferred narrative. Reuters reported that the organization, one of the country’s leading associations of U.S. historians, formally rejected the report’s claims.
The organization also raised a fundamental question at the center of the dispute: whether political leaders or trained historians, archivists, educators and curators should determine how American history is interpreted for the public.
That debate carries particular weight for Black history. Critics of the Trump administration’s approach have argued that slavery and racism are not side notes in the American story but central forces that shaped the country’s laws, economy, institutions and political development.
Jeffery Robinson, CEO and founder of The Who We Are Project, has argued that efforts to restrict how young people learn about racial history can shape how future generations understand the present.
“The culture that was underlying slavery continued very healthily all the way to the present,” Robinson said. “Why do they not want kids to learn this information? Because if they learn it, their minds will be changed. They will view the world through different eyes, and they will make decisions that are different than the ones their parents make.”
Bunch Says Smithsonian Will Stand By Scholarship
The confrontation puts Bunch in a particularly difficult position as he attempts to preserve the Smithsonian’s independence while facing increasing pressure from the White House.
The Smithsonian has emphasized that its work remains grounded in nonpartisan scholarship. A spokeswoman said the institution has served the American public for more than 180 years through independent scholarship and remains committed to that mission. Reuters also reported that Bunch stressed accuracy and a full telling of American history while acknowledging that the institution can continue to improve.
Bunch told staff that the Smithsonian’s responsibilities go beyond preserving artifacts.
“As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope, and clarity,” he wrote, adding that the Smithsonian remains committed to “scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity.”
For now, the battle over the National Museum of American History has become part of a much larger struggle over the telling of America’s past — and whether confronting the country’s deepest failures is an act of historical honesty or, as the Trump administration contends, a distortion of the national story.
