Trump signed an executive order named “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” In the order, Trump claims the Smithsonian Institution has fallen to divisive, race-centered ideology which paints American and Western values as “inherently racist, sexist, and oppressive.”
Serving as an example of divisive, race-centered ideology, the order highlights an exhibition recently seen at the Smithsonian named “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” which seeks to understand the concept of race in the US.
The order also gives the VP power to overlook and potentially eliminate exhibitions such as the one above in order to create space for exhibitions that emphasize “extraordinary [American] heritage.” To ensure the Smithsonian follows Trump’s policy the VP will also work with congress to overlook appropriations to the Smithsonian.
Additionally, the order reinstates monuments taken down since 2020 and prohibits any descriptions or depictions that criticize or condemn historical American figures.
Essentially, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” ensures exhibitions at the Smithsonian, and every monument under the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior ,follow the rules and standards of the Trump’s administration’s definition of divisive narratives, which the order itself illustrates as those centered around race and topics concerning the history of race in the states.
