Lonnie G. Bunch III met President Trump for lunch on 28 August while Smithsonian programmes are under a White House review. A White House official described the conversation as "productive and cordial." Lindsey Halligan, who is spearheading the White House review of the Smithsonian, joined the meeting. The review targets activities at eight of the 21 museums to assess tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals. The letter requires museums to change content deemed inappropriate within 120 days, replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate descriptions. The Smithsonian receives about 53% of its $1.09bn FY2024 funding via congressional appropriations and is governed by a board of regents that includes Chief Justice John Roberts and Vice President J.D. Vance. Trump has criticized certain exhibits for promoting "divisive narratives" and "race-centered ideology," and in May attempted to remove the National Portrait Gallery director.
The Smithsonian Institution's leader met with US President Donald Trump at the White House this week while the museum group's programmes are under review by the White House. Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian's secretary, was summoned by Trump for a lunch meeting on 28 August, a conversation that a White House official described as "productive and cordial" to The New York Times. Trump and Bunch were joined by Lindsey Halligan, an assistant to the president who is spearheading the White House's review of the Smithsonian.
According to the letter sent to Bunch announcing the White House review of activities at eight of the 21 museums under the Smithsonian umbrella, the purpose of the review is "to assess tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals". The letter noted that museums would be required to change any content that the administration deemed inappropriate within 120 days, "replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions".
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