White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can't be trusted

By — Steve Peoples, Associated Press Steve Peoples, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-house-report-brands-smithsonian-leadership-as-radical-activists-who-cant-be-trusted Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can't be trusted Politics Jul 5, 2026 6:21 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) — A White House report brands the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, indicating that President Donald Trump may be preparing to install his own team. The report released late on Independence Day by the White House Domestic Policy Council comes in the midst of Trump's aggressive campaign to overhaul some of Washington's most sacred cultural and historic institutions. Trump in March revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targeted funding for programs that advanced "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology," as he continued a broadside against culture he deems too liberal. READ MORE: Smithsonian pressured to show Trump its plans for exhibits for America's 250th birthday "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," according to the report by the council, which is led by a former top Trump speechwriter. The authors added: "As this report shows, confirmed in the words of Museum leadership, this ideological capture has moved the Museum's mission away from straightforward historical education and scholarship toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country." The Smithsonian did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday. Historian Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian's current secretary, is the first African American to lead the institution. In an unrelated interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Bunch said "the notion of being a more perfect union, not the perfect union, is really what motivates me." "I think what I want people to understand is that there is a responsibility to continue to make those aspirations available, accessible, meaningful to a whole range of people," Bunch said. "And that, in essence, 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." WATCH: Citizen historians document Smithsonian exhibits under White House scrutiny Historian Anthea M. Hartig is the first woman to serve as director of National Museum of American History. Trump's escalating effort to force changes at the Smithsonian marks the Republican president's latest move to transform cultural