
Trump orders removal of ‘improper ideology' from top US museums
United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to remove what he describes as 'corrosive' anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex.
In one of his latest executive orders signed on Thursday, titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History', Trump placed Vice President JD Vance in charge of overseeing the changes to 'restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness'.
'The Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology,' Trump's executive order states.
Exhibits at the American Art Museum and the National Museum of African American History and Culture were among the Smithsonian institutions singled out in Trump's order for promoting 'narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive'.
'Museums in our Nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn – not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,' the executive order stated.
The Washington, DC-based institution includes 21 individual museums and the National Zoo. Some of the most popular include the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American History. Vance is a member of the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents.
'It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing,' the order states.
The move against the Smithsonian follows a similar one by Trump in February to overhaul programming at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. The president, similarly, appointed himself as chairman to oversee the changes.
Since his inauguration in January, Trump has moved to reverse policies supporting 'diversity, equity and inclusion'- better known by the acronym DEI – that became widespread under his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
Trump and other Republicans also want to reverse the spread of 'critical race theory', which explores how racism is inherent in US institutions. The theory has gained mainstream acceptance in recent years, particularly on museum and university campuses, following a major racial reckoning set off by the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, a Black American man.
Under Trump's executive order, the Smithsonian will be prohibited from hosting or funding exhibits that 'degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconstant with Federal law and policy'.
The Women's History Museum, which is still under development, was also banned from hosting exhibits that celebrate trans women.
The executive order called for the restoration of 'Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums' – suggesting some parts of the US could see the return of hundreds of Confederate monuments and symbols taken down since 2020.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Al Jazeera
25 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Why Trump's attempts to make peace in Ukraine will fail
Despite the White House pressure to end the Ukraine war, which has resulted in face-to-face talks, it has only worsened. Andrey Kortunov, the former director of the Russian International Affairs Council, tells host Steve Clemons that war is a high priority for Moscow, and a low priority for Washington, so Russia is not in a rush to resolve the conflict according to United States President Donald Trump's timeline. Former National Intelligence Council officer Angela Stent argues that the wider Russian strategy is to undo the Western advances made in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Soviet Union.


Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Will the US-China ‘framework' agreement defuse trade tension?
The United States and China say they've reached in principle a framework to roll back some of the punitive measures they have taken against each other's economies. That means Washington could ease restrictions on selling chips to China if Beijing agrees to speed up the export of rare earths. Whether that happens depends on the approval of presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The plan reached after talks in London marks the latest twist in a trade war that has threatened to disrupt global supply chains. Also, what's behind the surge in Russia's rouble? Plus, are nations choosing warfare over welfare?


Al Jazeera
6 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran threatens to strike US bases if conflict erupts over nuclear programme
Iran's defence minister has said his country would target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out with the United States, as President Donald Trump said he was losing confidence that a nuclear deal would be agreed. Washington and Tehran have held five rounds of talks since April as Trump seeks an agreement that would place constraints on Iran's uranium enrichment. He has threatened to attack Iran if no deal can be agreed. Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said on Wednesday that Iran would target US military bases in the region if the US attacked it first. 'Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don't come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us … all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,' Nasirzadeh told reporters, the Reuters news agency reported. The sixth round of talks is expected later this week, with Trump saying they will take place on Thursday, and Tehran saying they will be held on Sunday in Oman. Trump said that he was growing less confident that a nuclear deal would be reached, in comments in a podcast released on Wednesday. 'I don't know,' the US leader told the podcast Pod Force One on Monday, when asked whether he thought he could strike a deal with Iran. 'I'm less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made,' he said. Trump repeated the US position that Iran would be stopped from developing a nuclear bomb, regardless of whether a deal was reached. 'But it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying, it's so much nicer to do it,' he told the podcast. 'But I don't think I see the same level of enthusiasm for them to make a deal.' Iran insists that its nuclear programme is purely for civilian purposes, but Western powers have long expressed fear that Tehran intends to develop a nuclear weapon. In the next round of talks, Iran is expected to deliver its counter to a previous US offer that was rejected by Tehran. The global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is currently meeting in Vienna, where it is poised to vote on a resolution to censure Iran over accusations it has failed to comply with nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Iran has promised a 'proportionate' response to any action against it by the watchdog or Western powers. Russia has also called for greater efforts to find a resolution to the nuclear issue. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who oversees arms control and US relations, said on Wednesday that Moscow could provide practical help to strike a solution, offering that Russia could remove nuclear material from Iran to be converted into civilian reactor fuel. 'We are ready to provide assistance to both Washington and Tehran, not only politically, not only in the form of ideas that could be of use in the negotiation process, but also practically,' Ryabkov told reporters, according to Reuters. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also weighed in on the impending talks, stressing that Iran did not wish to develop nuclear weapons, and calling for the continuation of its enrichment programme under the supervision of the IAEA. 'President Trump entered office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal,' Araghchi wrote on X. 'As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program is within reach — and could be achieved rapidly,' he wrote. 'That mutually beneficial outcome relies on the continuation of Iran's enrichment program, under the full supervision of the IAEA, and the effective termination of sanctions.' President Trump entered office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. That is actually in line with our own doctrine and could become the main foundation for a deal. As we resume talks on Sunday, it is clear that an agreement that can ensure the continued peaceful… — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 11, 2025Another major sticking point in the talks has been Iran's missile programme, which would be used in the delivery of any nuclear weapon. Nasirzadeh also said on Wednesday that Iran had successfully tested a missile carrying a 2,000kg (4,410lb) warhead last week. He did not specify whether this was a variant of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile – Iran's longest-range projectile that can travel over 2,000km (1,240 miles) – or a new model, or provide further details about the missile. During his first White House term from 2017-2021, Trump pulled the US out of a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed limits on Tehran's uranium enrichment drive in exchange for relief from sanctions.