Smithsonian Chief Rejects White House Radical Label

WASHINGTON — The director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History forcefully rejected a White House report that branded the institution’s leadership as “radical activists” who “cannot be trusted” to tell America’s story, defending the museum’s scholarly integrity during a contentious congressional hearing on Tuesday.

Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, the Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the National Museum of American History (NMAH), testified before the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency in a hearing titled “Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past.” The hearing was convened in response to a 162-page report released on July 4 by the White House Domestic Policy Council that accused the museum of “extreme political activism,” “anti-White activism,” and “transgender activism.”

A Clash Over America’s Story

“As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum,” Hartig told the subcommittee, according to AP News. “There is always room for improvement. But I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming.”

The confrontation represents the latest escalation in President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to reshape cultural institutions he views as promoting divisive ideology. The report follows Trump’s March 27, 2025, executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which directed Vice President J.D. Vance to work with the Smithsonian Board of Regents to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from the institution.

Hartig, the first woman to serve as director of the museum, emphasized that the institution does not engage in political advocacy. “The museum does not take sides in America’s political debates,” she said. “We preserve and document the evidence of American life in all of its breadth, so that the public can encounter the past and draw their own conclusions.”

The White House Report’s Allegations

The White House report, authored by Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley, argued that the museum “has refused to celebrate the Nation and its history” and proposed placing a warning label at museum entrances reading: “Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don’t want you to love your country.”

Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) echoed those concerns during the hearing. “In the museum’s current telling, history is just an ongoing power struggle between oppressors and the oppressed,” Burchett said, as reported by AP News. “The report makes clear that the museum’s woke exhibits and materials reflect a broader vision held by the museum leadership.”

Defending Scholarly Integrity

Hartig pushed back against the characterization that the museum seeks to erase traditional history. “When historians talk about reframing a traditional narrative, we don’t mean erasing it,” she testified. “We mean adding the evidence, the voices, the objects, that earlier tellings left out, so that more Americans can see themselves reflected in the national story.”

She also highlighted the museum’s recent exhibit “In Pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness,” opened in May to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. The exhibit displays 250 objects throughout the building, including Thomas Jefferson’s desk, a Revolutionary War-era gunboat, and the Star Spangled Banner.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, the first African American to lead the institution, also disputed the report’s findings in an internal letter to staff obtained by ABC News. “While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History,” Bunch wrote. “At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story.”

Broader Context and Funding Pressure

The Smithsonian receives approximately 62% of its funding from the federal government, making it vulnerable to political pressure over its content. The White House has already suggested it would withhold funds if the institution did not comply with content reviews.

The dispute is part of a wider pattern of Trump administration actions against cultural institutions. In 2025, the White House forced the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet, to step down after Trump said he was firing her. Trump also installed himself as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and won a court ruling allowing the reinstallation of interpretive panels at President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia that critics say whitewash the history of slavery.

What’s Next

Hartig is scheduled to testify again on Wednesday before the Committee on House Administration, a second congressional hearing that will further scrutinize the museum’s work. The hearings come as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, which Trump has made a centerpiece of his administration.

In her closing remarks, Hartig offered a personal defense of her work. “I believe what you will find, madams and sirs, is not an institution that has forgotten its country, but one that loves it enough to tell the full sweep of history, our triumphs and our struggles,” she said. “I love the United States of America. I consider it the privilege of my career to help preserve its treasures and serve the American people.”

The outcome of the hearings could set important precedents for the independence of federally funded cultural institutions and the boundaries of political influence over how American history is presented to the public.