RESTORING TRUTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY: Today, President Donald J. Trump enacted an Executive Order aimed at reinstating authenticity and rationality in the portrayal of American history. This initiative seeks to rejuvenate vital cultural institutions while countering the spread of divisive ideologies.
- President Trump’s objective is to transform the Smithsonian into an institution that ignites children’s imagination, honors American history and innovation, and stands as a global emblem of American excellence.
- The Order mandates that the Vice President—who holds a position on the Smithsonian Board of Regents—take steps to eradicate any inappropriate, divisive, or anti-American ideologies from the Smithsonian’s museums, educational and research centers, and the National Zoo.
- Additionally, the Order instructs the Administration to collaborate with Congress to ensure that future funding for the Smithsonian:
- Prohibits financing for exhibits or programs that undermine shared American values, incite racial division, or promote ideologies at odds with federal law;
- Highlights women’s accomplishments in the American Women’s History Museum without recognizing men as women.
- The Vice President will coordinate with congressional leaders to appoint members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents who are dedicated to promoting the celebration of America’s remarkable heritage and progress.
- The Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior to restore federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been improperly altered or removed in the last five years, in an effort to counter a misleading revision of history or to unfairly diminish certain historical figures or events.
- As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, the Order instructs the Secretary of the Interior to ensure that all restorations and enhancements to Independence Hall are completed by that date.
COMBATING CORROSIVE IDEOLOGY: Over the past decade, Americans have observed a concerted movement to rewrite the nation’s history and impose a factually unsupported ideology that seeks to undermine American achievements. President Trump is countering this trend by reaffirming the factual integrity of our historical narrative and restoring federal sites devoted to American heritage.
- The previous administration propagated a divisive ideology that reinterpreted America’s commitment to liberty as fundamentally flawed, thus infecting esteemed institutions like the Smithsonian and national parks with misleading narratives.
- At Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the Biden Administration facilitated training through an organization that advocates for dismantling “Western foundations,” instructing Park Rangers to let their racial identity influence how they present history to visitors.
- The Smithsonian Institution—once celebrated globally as a hallmark of American excellence—has recently promoted divisive ideologies suggesting that American and Western values are detrimental.
- For instance, the American Art Museum currently showcases an exhibit claiming that “sculpture has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism” and alleging that the United States has used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture asserts that “hard work,” “individualism,” and “the nuclear family” are elements of “White culture.”
- The American Women’s History Museum has plans to celebrate male athletes participating in women’s sports.
CELEBRATING AMERICAN GREATNESS: President Trump is dedicated to honoring America’s exceptional heritage and fostering a sense of national pride.
- On his first day in office, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a task force to prepare for America’s 250th birthday.
- This Order also aims to safeguard America’s monuments from vandalism and proposes the creation of the National Garden of American Heroes.
- President Trump has also signed a memorandum ensuring that federal buildings embody the timeless grandeur of traditional, classical architecture.
- Through this Executive Order, President Trump is committed to ensuring that American history is celebrated accurately, fairly, and with pride—honoring the incredible progress, liberty, and ingenuity that define our great nation.
