Trump Administration’s “Saving America’s Story” Report Targets Smithsonian’s Pop-Culture Exhibit

Over a weekend in July 2026, the White House Domestic Policy Council released a 162-page report titled “Saving America’s Story.” The document accuses the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) of being “captured by radical, activist ideology,” labeling the museum “anti-white,” pro-“illegal alien,” and “pro-transgender.” The report’s primary focus is the museum’s Entertainment Nation gallery, which showcases pop-culture artifacts—from Dorothy’s ruby slippers to Star Wars droids—while also presenting LGBTQ + icons, a drag-queen video, and a 2003 *Entertainment Weekly* cover featuring nude women.

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The critique follows President Donald Trump’s March 2025 executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which called for eliminating perceived ideological bias in federally funded museums. Earlier in his second term, the administration issued complaints about Smithsonian displays addressing Black liberation, refugee experiences, and LGBTQ + history. The Smithsonian’s governance structure—Secretary Lonnie Bunch (elected by the Board of Regents), a board that includes Chief Justice John Roberts, Vice President J.D. Vance, and congressional appointees—differs from the Kennedy Center, which Trump reshaped earlier in 2026.

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• President Donald Trump – signed the 2025 executive order and endorsed the report.

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• Vince Haley – Director of the Domestic Policy Council, author of the report’s lead statements.

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• Anthea Hartig – Director of NMAH, previously advocated “advancing social justice” within the museum.

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• Lonnie Bunch – Smithsonian Secretary since 2019.

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• Organization of American Historians (OAH) – professional historians’ association.

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• American Historical Association (AHA) – scholarly organization defending curatorial independence.

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• Report length: 162 pages.

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• Specific items cited: drag-queen video clips, a **2003 *Entertainment Weekly* cover of the Dixie Chicks, a Girl Germs magazine cover showing two partially nude women, an online exhibit titled “Illegal to Be You: Gay History Beyond Stonewall,”** and a two-piece crotch harness displayed in the “Music HerStory” exhibit.

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The Smithsonian issued a statement emphasizing its 180-year legacy of “nonpartisan and independent scholarship.” The OAH dismissed the report as “executive overreach” and asserted that no president can dictate Smithsonian exhibitions. The AHA warned that political interference “places at risk the integrity and accuracy of historical interpretation” and could erode public trust.

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Historians argue the report seeks to “rewrite” American history by minimizing the contributions of founders such as Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin while foregrounding contemporary identity politics. Critics note that the report’s claims about Hamilton’s slave ownership lack citation and contradict the exhibit’s note that Hamilton was a vocal anti-slavery advocate and co-founder of the New York Manumission Society in 1785.

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The administration alleges that the museum “minimizes” the founders’ achievements, yet the exhibit explicitly states Hamilton’s role in the nation’s founding and his anti-slavery activism. No quantitative data are provided on visitor demographics or educational outcomes to substantiate claims of “sexually suggestive material” or ideological bias.

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• “No American wants the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to be a system of ideological activism,” — Vince Haley, Director, Domestic Policy Council

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• “The report is only the latest chapter in a broader, systematic campaign that now targets an institution that was never meant to answer to any single administration.” — Organization of American Historians statement

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• “Historians practice our craft with integrity. Political interference into professional curatorial practices and museum and educational content places at risk the integrity and accuracy of historical interpretation and stands to erode public trust in our shared institutions.” — American Historical Association statement

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• “For more than 180 years, the Smithsonian has served the American public with nonpartisan and independent scholarship, and we remain committed to doing so.” — Smithsonian spokesperson

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The dispute highlights a broader clash over who controls national narratives. If the administration’s demands were implemented, the Smithsonian’s ability to present a multifaceted view of American history—including marginalized voices—could be constrained, potentially reshaping public understanding of the nation’s past and influencing future museum funding and governance debates.

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