President Trump labeled the Smithsonian and other museums as the last remaining segment of "woke" and said attorneys will review museums similarly to colleges. The White House has begun an audit of the Smithsonian and signaled possible expansion of reviews to other institutions. The scope, timeline, metrics, legal and financial levers, and reviewers for any broader effort remain unclear. The American Alliance of Museums counts about 22,000 member institutions ranging from major art museums to local historical societies and botanical gardens. The alliance's CEO framed the matter as one of creative and scholarly independence.
On his Truth Social platform Tuesday, President Trump called the Smithsonian Institution and other museums "the last remaining segment of 'WOKE'." He added, "I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities." The White House started an audit of the Smithsonian earlier this month. But what about other institutions? It is unclear what legal and financial pressures his administration might pursue in trying to align American museums to his vision.
The president's post on Truth Social was not clear: was he referring just to the Smithsonian museums, or to American museums more broadly? NPR asked the White House to clarify this issue. A White House official, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the specifics of the plan, responded in a statement: "President Trump will explore all options and avenues to get the Woke out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable. He will start with the Smithsonian and then go from there."
The administration's review could include many institutions: the membership of the American Alliance of Museums includes around 22,000 institutions across the country everything from the giant, internationally-known art museums, to historic houses, natural history museums, local historical societies and botanical gardens. Many address history, identity, the environment and other subjects that are politically polarized. It is unclear what the timeline may be for these reviews, what the metrics might be for success and who would be doing the reviewing. In a statement to NPR Wednesday, the president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, Marilyn Jackson, framed the issue as one of creative and scholarly independence. She wrote: "The idea of extending federal reviews to the nation's 22,000 museums misunderstands how museums operate. The vast majority are independent nonprofits, guided by professio
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