The Smithsonian — particularly its National Museum of American History — has faced withering pressure from the Trump administration. It’s the culmination of decades of criticism by conservatives and other groups.
  • Too “Woke”? Trump tried to fire one Smithsonian official and, after finding “ideological capture,” plans to install anti-woke warning signs outside the history museum.
  • Is This History? One exhibit speculated that Ben Franklin may have shocked enslaved people in electric experiments. Another displayed a “crotch harness” used for sadomasochistic sex.
  • A Longstanding Debate: As early as 1999, one critic argued that the history museum lacked focus, examining oppression rather than the central figures and episodes of U.S. history.