Trump orders Smithsonian warning signs at American history museum
Trump directed officials to post temporary signs outside the Smithsonian museum, citing a White House report attacking its history exhibits.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
President Donald Trump ordered Smithsonian warning signs to be placed outside the National Museum of American History, telling federal officials Friday to alert visitors to what he called “inaccurate information” inside the Washington, D.C., museum.
The order targets the Smithsonian Institution as Trump continues a broader push to reshape how its museums present American history. NBC News reported that the directive follows a July 4 White House report that accused the museum of being unable to tell the country’s story “honestly” or in a way the report described as inspiring and unifying.
Why is Trump ordering Smithsonian warning signs?
In Friday’s executive order, Trump said Smithsonian leaders treat American history as a “prime tool” for social justice ideas and what he described as the radical transformation of society. He wrote that the leadership of the Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History “cannot be trusted to tell America’s story with honesty and gratitude.”
The signs are meant to point visitors to the July 4 White House report and to Trump’s demand that its findings be carried out under an earlier executive order he signed in March 2025. That March order sought to target federal funding for programs that present what it called “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” according to NBC News.
Trump directed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to work with the National Park Service on the temporary signage. The order says the signs should be placed along sidewalks and walkways maintained by the National Park Service that the public uses to reach the museum.
The National Park Service role matters because the order focuses on public access areas outside the museum rather than only displays inside it. The signs, according to Trump’s order, are intended to direct visitors toward “locations and resources” that he says provide accurate information about American history.
What else does the order require?
Trump also instructed Burgum, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, the administrator of General Services and the assistant to the president for domestic policy to use “all available authorities” to advance the order’s policies.
The Smithsonian declined to comment Friday, NBC News reported.
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch had defended the institution earlier this month in an email to NBC News. Bunch wrote that the White House report “is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.”
Bunch said the Smithsonian’s work is guided by “scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story.” He also wrote that the institution remains focused on “scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity.”
The fight places one of the country’s best-known museums in the middle of a political clash over public history, federal funding and who gets to frame America’s past for millions of visitors.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.