Via The Hill: White House launches review of Smithsonian museums.
White House officials are launching a review of some of the Smithsonian’s museums aimed at ensuring “alignment” with President Trump’s “directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
The notion that national museums should conform to the President’s specific priorities is dictator shit, full stop (perhaps I am weary, but that seems the most technically accurate term for this stuff).
A Tuesday letter to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch was signed by the Domestic Policy Council’s Vince Haley, White House senior associate staff secretary Lindsey Halligan and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, The Wall Street Journal reported. The review outlined in the letter, Halligan told the paper, “is about preserving trust in one of our most cherished institutions.”
Well, this strikes me as a great way to damage trust and to undermine institutions that will no longer be as cherished.
And why in the world is the OMB Director involved?
In March, Trump signed an executive order that accused the Smithsonian Institution of being influenced in “recent years” by “a divisive, race-centered ideology.”
“This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive,” the order said, part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back former President Biden-era initiatives that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion.
Translation: don’t talk about the bad stuff in regards to racial and ethnic groups.
