A curious edit at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., has sparked debate over how history is presented. Last month, references to President Trump's two first-term impeachments were removed from a prominent exhibit, raising questions about timing and intent.
According to NPR, the exhibit, titled "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden," still includes mentions of impeachments for Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, as well as the Watergate scandal tied to Richard Nixon. The Smithsonian claims this removal is temporary, pending a broader update to the display.
Originally added in 2021 as a temporary label, the note on Trump's impeachments in 2019 and 2021 stayed up until July of this year. The institution insists it’s merely reverting to the exhibit’s 2008 state while planning a full overhaul, though no timeline for restoration has been shared.
The Smithsonian’s explanation, as shared with NPR, hinges on a review of what they call "legacy content." They stated, "Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the Impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance."
That reasoning might sound practical, but it’s hard to ignore the timing, especially given recent tensions with the current administration. Pulling a reference to such a significant event feels less like housekeeping and more like a cautious sidestep amid political scrutiny.
After all, a label added in 2021 as a "short-term measure" lingered for nearly four years before this sudden rollback. If updates take so long, as they claim, one wonders why this specific edit couldn’t wait for the promised overhaul.
Adding fuel to the fire is a recent clash between the White House and Kim Sajet, director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, who faced criticism from Trump in late May for being "a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI." Sajet resigned shortly after, following a Smithsonian statement on June 9 asserting its independence from political influence.
This isn’t just a museum spat; it ties into broader moves by the administration, including a March executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History." The order explicitly targeted institutions like the Smithsonian for pushing what it called a distorted, ideology-driven narrative over objective facts.
White House Spokesperson Davis Ingle didn’t mince words in an email to NPR, stating, "Unfortunately for far too long the Smithsonian museums have highlighted divisive, DEI exhibits which are out of touch with mainstream America." That’s a pointed jab, suggesting the administration sees these cultural spaces as battlegrounds for ideological reform.
The Smithsonian’s Board of Regents has promised "specific expectations" for content moving forward, along with "reasonable time" for staff to adjust displays to ensure unbiased presentation. But when history itself is a lightning rod, who decides what’s unbiased?
Trump’s impeachments aren’t opinions; they’re documented events, just like Johnson’s or Clinton’s. Erasing them, even temporarily, risks feeding a perception that history can be edited to suit the loudest voices in the room.
The institution’s pledge to include all impeachments in a future update is reassuring on paper. Yet without a clear timeline, it’s a promise that feels more like a placeholder than a commitment.
At the heart of this dust-up is a larger struggle over how America tells its story. Museums aren’t just warehouses of artifacts; they shape how generations understand their past, and every edit or omission carries weight.
The Trump administration’s push to strip what it sees as improper ideology from cultural institutions, as Ingle put it, to "highlight American greatness," might resonate with those frustrated by progressive overreach in public spaces. But history isn’t a highlight reel; it’s a record, warts and all, and sidelining inconvenient chapters serves no one in the long run.
Until the Smithsonian delivers on its update, this removal will linger as a symbol of something deeper: a tug-of-war over truth in an age where even museum labels can become political flashpoints. Let’s hope the promised overhaul prioritizes facts over feelings, from any side of the aisle.
