The White House published an article on its website denouncing a range of artworks, exhibitions, and objects at the Smithsonian Institution, continuing President Donald Trump's protest against the museum network. The list included previously criticized shows, such as one about sculptures as signifiers of power at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture's displays on 'white dominant culture.' It also named new targets: a painting of a Black trans woman as the Statue of Liberty by Amy Sherald (which was pulled from a National Portrait Gallery show due to alleged censorship), Rigoberto A. González's 2022 painting 'Refugees Crossing the Border Wall into South Texas,' a stop-motion portrait of Anthony Fauci commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, and a papier-mâché Statue of Liberty from a workers' rights protest. The administration also objected to wall texts at the National Museum of the American Latino and the National Museum of American History's LGBTQ+ History display.
This matters because it represents an unprecedented direct intervention by the White House into the programming and content of the Smithsonian Institution, a federally funded museum network. The list, which included a show that was never even mounted, signals a broader political campaign to reshape how American history and culture are presented in national museums. The targeting of specific artworks and exhibitions—particularly those addressing race, immigration, LGBTQ+ history, and public health—raises serious concerns about censorship, artistic freedom, and the politicization of cultural institutions. This follows Trump's earlier executive order and social media attacks, suggesting a coordinated effort to impose ideological control over the nation's museums, similar to his administration's actions against universities.