President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order seeking to exert more control over what is displayed at Smithsonian museums and federal sites, citing what the White House called \u201cdivisive narratives\u201d promoted by certain museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The executive order<\/u><\/a> claimed that the Smithsonian Institution, which operates numerous museums in the nation\u2019s capital, \u201chas, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive,\u201d the order states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The order cites an exhibit at the American Art Museum titled \u201cStories of Race and American Sculpture\u201d and references at the National Museum of African American History and Culture that assert \u201chard work,\u201d \u201cindividualism,\u201d and \u201cthe nuclear family\u201d are parts of \u201cwhite culture\u201d;<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMuseums in our Nation\u2019s capital should be places where individuals go to learn \u2014 not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,\u201d the order states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The order directs Vice President Vance to lead efforts to eliminate content from Smithsonian museums that do not align with the administration\u2019s vision to \u201cremind Americans of our extraordinary heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum\u2002<\/u><\/a>to determine whether any public monuments, memorials or statues were removed during the Biden\u2002<\/u><\/a>administration that \u201cperpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The executive order is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back Biden-era initiatives that were deemed \u201cwoke\u201d or that promoted diversity, equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Democrats, in particular, sought to reexamine monuments to Confederate leaders in the aftermath of the 2020 racial injustice protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd. Trump has repeatedly argued<\/u><\/a> that vandalizing statues should come with severe penalties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the Biden administration, Fort Bragg in North Carolina was renamed to Fort Liberty, a move that has since been undone<\/u><\/a> by the Trump administration. Fort Bragg was named after a Confederate general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n