Smithsonian puts Trump's name back in museum's impeachment display
First reported by The Washington Post on July 31, changes to "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden" entailed the total removal of what the museum called a temporary placard briefly covering Trump's two impeachments in 2019 and 2021.
A more permanent display about the current president has since been added, as have artifacts from the proceedings. Some text was changed between displays, specifically concerning Trump's involvement with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and accusations of election interference.
More: Smithsonian explains why a Trump reference was removed from impeachment exhibit
Smithsonian was 'not asked by any Administration' to change exhibit
The previous, temporary Trump plaque, which was added in 2021, was taken out in July to return the display to how it appeared nearly 20 years ago in 2008, according to a Smithsonian statement shared with USA TODAY on Aug. 1. The Washington Post also noted that the exhibit said that "only three presidents have seriously faced removal," meaning Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon.
The change was made because it "did not meet the museum's standards in appearance," the Smithsonian Institute said in an Aug. 2 statement, adding that it blocked the view of other objects inside the case.
"We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit," it said, telling USA TODAY in a separate statement that, "A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments," noting that updating and renewing permanent galleries "requires a significant amount of time and funding."
The museum unveiled an updated exhibit on Aug. 8.
"At the heart of the Smithsonian's work is a steadfast commitment to scholarship, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history," the institute said in a statement shared with USA TODAY on Monday, Aug. 11. "The National Museum of American History has completed its update to the Impeachment case within 'The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden' exhibition. The updated display now reflects all presidential impeachments."
Trump added back to impeachment display
In September 2021, a "temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump" was added, according to the Smithsonian.
From September 2021 to July 2025, a large placard was suspended at the forefront of the display with the title, "Case under redesign ('history happens')." It mentioned the impeachment proceedings brought against Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon, who resigned before he could be formally impeached, as well as Trump.
Behind it were more permanent sections about Johnson's impeachment, including tickets and newspaper clips from the time; Nixon's Senate hearing and resignation, including testimony papers, a filing cabinet and photos from the proceedings; and Clinton's trial, with tickets and Senate question cards.
From late July to the exhibit reopening on Aug. 8, the removal of the placard meant there were no references to Trump, who is the first and only president in American history to be impeached twice.
Now, Trump occupies a smaller placard at the bottom of the display case, which also includes 2019 and 2021 tickets to the impeachment proceedings acquired in June 2025, the Smithsonian said in a statement shared with USA TODAY.
Changes to text describing Trump impeachments
Changes were also made to the text describing the Trump proceedings, as reported by the Post and The New York Times and confirmed via photos by USA TODAY.
The word "alleged" was added to the text about Trump's 2020 impeachment trial, changing the sentence, "The charges focused on the president's solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election...." to, "The charges focused on the president's alleged solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election and defiance of Congressional subpoenas. Trump was acquitted in January 2020."
More significant changes were made to the description of the second 2021 impeachment. Specifically, the phrases "repeated 'false statements'" and "'encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol'" were removed when discussing Trump's involvement in Jan. 6.
Previously, the placard read: "On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection, based on repeated 'false statements' challenging the 2020 election results and his January 6 speech that 'encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol.' Because Trump's term ended on January 20, his acquittal on February 13 made him the first former president tried by the Senate."
Now, it reads: "On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection based on his challenge of the 2020 election results and on his speech on January 6. Because Trump's term ended on January 20, he became the first former president tried by the Senate. He was acquitted on February 13, 2021.'
The Smithsonian declined to clarify the reason behind these changes.
"Adhering to principles foundational to our role as the nation's museum, we take great care to ensure that what we present to the public reflects both intellectual integrity and thoughtful design," it said in its Aug. 11 statement.
The controversy surrounding the Smithsonian's change to the display came after the White House in May pushed for the removal of art director Kim Sajet from her role as director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, citing her "strong support" of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
In March, Trump also signed an executive order demanding the removal of "anti-American ideology" from the Smithsonian and other cultural institutions and tasked a White House official, Lindsey Halligan, with scrutinizing "improper ideology" at said institutions.
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