The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is among several Smithsonian museums that have 120 days to remove or correct “divisive” narratives and align with President Donald Trump’s values, the White House announced this week.
The directive from the White House is part of its internal review of exhibit materials at the Smithsonian Institution as President Donald Trump’s administration decides what should and should not be displayed in public museums. Civil rights leaders believe the latest move is another attempt by Trump to purge materials that highlight America’s diversity, and to whitewash the nation’s history.
The White House Tuesday, August 12, 2025, sent a letter to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III informing him of the directive. The letter said the museum should aim to “ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
The letter was signed by Trump aides Lindsey Halligan, the senior associate staff secretary; Vince Haley, the Domestic Policy Council director; and Russell Vought, the Office of Management and Budget director.
They said the review will focus on public-facing content, the curatorial process to understand how work is selected for exhibit, current and future exhibition planning, the use of existing materials and collections, and guidelines for narrative standards.
In addition to the NMAAHC, other Smithsonian museums that are part of the first phase of the review include the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Additional museums, the letter said, will be announced in a second phase.
The Smithsonian said it was “reviewing” the letter, telling CNN in a statement it planned to work “constructively” with the White House.
“The Smithsonian’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history. We are reviewing the letter with this commitment in mind and will continue to collaborate constructively with the White House, Congress, and our governing Board of Regents,” the statement said.
The letter demands that museums designate a point of contact to provide details on plans for programming to highlight the country’s 250th anniversary.
It also asks for a full catalog of all current and ongoing exhibitions and budgets, a list of all traveling exhibitions and plans for the next three years, and all internal guidelines, including staff manuals, job descriptions, and organizational charts, along with internal communications about exhibition artwork selection and approval. That material is due within 30 days, with “on-site observational visits” and walkthroughs expected.
Within 75 days, Trump administration officials will schedule and conduct “voluntary interviews with curators and senior staff.”
And within 120 days, museums “should begin implementing content corrections where necessary, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials.”
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order accusing the Smithsonian Institution of having “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” that has “promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
Black leaders viewed the directive as a potential attack on the NMAAHC, which documents and tells the stories of America’s Black citizens during slavery, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement. It opened in 2016 after decades of political divisions in Congress. The NMAAHC remains one of the most popular museums among the Smithsonian’s 21 museums.
The Smithsonian began a review of its own museums in June. The institution told CNN in July that it was committed to an “unbiased presentation of facts and history” and that it would “make any necessary changes to ensure our content meets our standards.”