Smithsonian scrubs Trump from impeachment exhibit

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History removed references to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments from a long-running exhibit on presidential power. Knewz.com has learned that the decision followed a broader review of the display’s content and has sparked significant backlash.

Removal of Trump’s references from impeachment exhibit

The section in question is part of The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden, a gallery that opened in 2000. Since September 2021, the impeachment display included a temporary label describing the proceedings against Trump alongside those of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, as well as Richard Nixon, who would have faced impeachment had he not resigned. A Smithsosian spokesperson said in a statement, “In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the ‘Limits of Presidential Power’ section in ‘The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden’ exhibition needed to be addressed. The section of this exhibition covers Congress, the Supreme Court, impeachment and public opinion. Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance.” The spokesperson continued, “In September 2021, the museum installed a temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump. It was intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025. A large permanent gallery like ‘The American Presidency’ that opened in 2000 requires significant amount of time and funding to update and renew. A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.”

History of Trump’s impeachment

Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice. In 2019, the House charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over efforts to withhold military aid to Ukraine while urging an investigation into political rival Joe Biden. The Senate acquitted him in 2020. In January 2021, following the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House impeached Trump again, accusing him of inciting an insurrection. The Senate acquitted him for a second time, after he had left office.

The move came amidst significant political pressure, reports say

According to reports, the change came as the Smithsonian faces accusations of political interference. Since returning to office in January, President Trump has sought greater influence over cultural institutions including the Kennedy Center, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Park Service. Earlier in 2025, Trump tried to remove Kim Sajet, director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, claiming she was “highly partisan.” He cited, among other things, the caption for his presidential portrait, which referenced his two impeachments and the January 6 insurrection. Although the president lacks the authority to fire museum directors, the Board of Regents announced it would review museum content for political bias.

Reaction to the removal

Political analyst Jeff Greenfield commented on the matter, saying, “‘Orwellian’ is a much-overused phrase; but forcing the Smithsonian to erase the fact of Trump’s impeachments is right out of 1984. Did they drop that stuff down the memory hole?” Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff posted images of newspaper headlines detailing Trump’s impeachments on X and wrote, “This is what Donald Trump wants you to forget. America never will.” Former GOP Congressman and Trump critic Joe Walsh also took to X to voice his criticism, writing, “Despicable. Reprehensible. Dishonest. Cowardly. Trump’s 2 impeachments are historical facts. They are both part of American history. He’s using the powers of his office to try to rewrite history. I’m done saying ‘shame on him.’ Shame on us for electing him.”

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