A Cautious New Approach to Trump's Impeachments at the Smithsonian

"The Smithsonian Institution has found itself in the awkward position of telling the nation's story while being supported in part by a government that wants to narrow how that story is told. In December, the White House threatened to revoke funding to the institution if it did not hand over a trove of wall texts and exhibit plans for a review. So when a permanent exhibition of presidential portraits closed for a refresh earlier this spring, whether some important but unsavory facts about the current president would be there when it reopened was unclear."

"Now we know: The “America's Presidents” galleries at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., are back, and President Trump's two impeachments are technically there. But they are mentioned without context, in a way that underlines the Smithsonian's touchy relationship with an administration that has not hesitated to strong-arm the institution."

"Last summer, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History quietly took down references to Trump's two impeachments from a display on presidents who had faced the removal process. The change came amid a content review that the Smithsonian had begun under pressure from the White House, but following a public outcry, mention of Trump was restored. Then, months later, when the National Portrait Gallery swapped out a portrait of the president for an image he preferred, it also removed accompanying wall text that had touched on his impeachments and the January 6 insurrection."

"The new image was shot by the White House photographer Daniel Torok, and the new text was a “tombstone label,” the museum world's term for signage that includes minimal information. (Months earlier, a Trump official had complained about the wall text.) In a museum known for long-winded labels, the monthslong quiet about Trump was loud-especially as wall texts on, say, Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon nodded to their respective controversies. By saying nothing"

The Smithsonian Institution faced pressure from the White House to narrow how the nation’s story is presented. Funding threats were made unless wall texts and exhibit plans were provided for review. After a refresh closed the “America’s Presidents” galleries, the galleries reopened with President Trump’s two impeachments included but referenced without context. Earlier, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History removed references to the impeachments from a display, then restored them after public outcry. Later, the National Portrait Gallery replaced a presidential portrait with an image preferred by the president and removed wall text that addressed the impeachments and the January 6 insurrection. The replacement used a “tombstone label” with minimal information, contrasting with longer labels elsewhere in the galleries.

Read at The Atlantic