Trump blasts ‘out of control’ Smithsonian, targets ‘woke’ museums

President Donald J. Trump blasted the Smithsonian Institution as “out of control” as he ordered a review of national museums that promote a narrative that downplays the greatness of America.

In a Tuesday post to Truth Social, the president called the museums in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere “the last remaining segment of WOKE” and said that he has directed his attorneys to conduct a review of exhibits that disparage the nation by obsessing about slavery and “the downtrodden” while ignoring success and failing to inspire visitors to look forward to the future.

TRUTH from President Trump: “The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of “WOKE.” The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how… pic.twitter.com/1V5KDfllF0

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 19, 2025

“The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of “WOKE.” The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” Trump wrote.

“We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made,” he continued. “This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums.”

Trump’s post comes after an August 12 letter from the White House to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III advising of a review in accordance with his executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” and ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday celebration next year.

Among the exhibits specifically mentioned in Trump’s executive order is one in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture stating that “hard work,” “individualism,” and “the nuclear family” are aspects of “White culture.”

Remember when American taxpayer dollars were used to fund this exhibit on “white culture” at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture? https://t.co/kGQ7PFPBgP pic.twitter.com/V9YfymzNZc

— Steve Friend (@RealStevefriend) August 12, 2025

“As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s founding, it is more important than ever that our national museums reflect the unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story. In this spirit, and in accordance with Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, we will be leading a comprehensive internal review of selected Smithsonian museums and exhibitions,” the letter to Bunch read.

“This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” the White House officials wrote.

Rooting out the “woke” in the Smithsonian and other national museums is imperative if future generations of Americans are to understand the true history of their country. Not the bastardized version put forth by the revisionist “1619 Project” and the heinously racist ideology of Critical Race Theory, which advocates for the collective punishment of white people as oppressors, even though they never owned slaves, nor in most cases, were their families even living in America at the time that slavery existed.

Democrats and their propaganda parrots in the media are going to go totally berserk and will focus on Trump’s reference to slavery which has been used to stir emotions ever since it was dragged back into the public consciousness during Barack Obama’s second term when the former president hit the reset button on race relations, wiping out decades of progress since the Civil Rights era.

“It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing,” Trump said in the March 27 executive order.

“Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” he added.