Trump Diverts Taxpayer Funds in Attack on Smithsonian Institution

WHO:

NPR - Anthea Hartig, the director of the American History museum, stated that history is "a prime tool of social justice."

NPR - The letter from Doug Burgum also mentioned "invidious discrimination and anti-white animus" attributed to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch.

The Daily Beast - Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated that the signs would provide visitors with “important context about the exhibits they are about to encounter and the personal viewpoints that the curators of the exhibits are seeking to advance.”

Rolling Stone Politics - President Trump, 80, and his administration

The Daily Beast - Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior; Sen. Jeff Merkley, Oregon Democrat; Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican; Lonnie Bunch, first Black leader of the Smithsonian

WHAT:

NPR - The signs are estimated to cost $7,000 each, totaling about $84,000.

The Daily Beast - Trump insisted that the Smithsonian must “erect a 30-foot (9-m) ‘Colossus statue’” of George Washington outside the museum.

Rolling Stone Politics - The administration plans to spend $84,000 to put up signs warning visitors about the Smithsonian.

The Daily Beast - Trump wants warning signs erected outside the Smithsonian, accusing its leadership of ideological bias.

The Daily Beast - The National Park Service will place around a dozen signs outside the museum at an estimated cost of $84,000.

The Daily Beast - Trump signed an executive order in July demanding the installation of the signs.

The Daily Beast - The signs will warn visitors about the “ideological capture” at the Smithsonian and “correct inaccurate information presented in the Museum.”

WHERE:

Rolling Stone Politics - Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Daily Beast - Sidewalks and walkways outside the Smithsonian

WHEN:

The Daily Beast - A letter from Doug Burgum to Sen. Jeff Merkley was sent on Sept. 3.

The Daily Beast - Trump signed the executive order in July.

The Daily Beast - Lonnie Bunch announced his retirement at the end of the year.

WHY:

NPR - The administration claims the Smithsonian leadership has altered the museum's role to advance personal, radical ideologies.

The Daily Beast - Trump claimed that Washington is “America’s Greatest Hero,” despite Washington being a lifelong slaveholder.

The Daily Beast - Trump called the Smithsonian “WOKE” and “OUT OF CONTROL” for its coverage of American history, including slavery.

The Daily Beast - Trump stated that the Smithsonian leadership does not present American history as a shared national inheritance and uses it to advance ideas of social justice.

HOW:

NPR - The signs will be placed on National Park Service land and are described as temporary.

The Daily Beast - Burgum’s letter indicated that this may be the first instance in which executive branch intervention of this nature has become necessary.

The Daily Beast - The signs will provide visitors with “important context about the exhibits they are about to encounter and the personal viewpoints that the curators of the exhibits are seeking to advance.”

The Daily Beast - The signs will be placed as a result of an executive order signed by Trump.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 04:01 UTC)

Anthea Hartig, the director of the American History Museum, emphasized that history serves as "a prime tool of social justice," while a letter from Doug Burgum criticized Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch for alleged "invidious discrimination and anti-white animus." President Trump has called for the Smithsonian to erect a 30-foot statue of George Washington outside the museum, with the signs for this project estimated to cost about $84,000. These signs will be temporarily placed on National Park Service land as part of the administration's claim that Smithsonian leadership has shifted the museum's role to promote personal, radical ideologies.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 02:12 UTC)

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced that new signs will offer visitors important context about the exhibits they are about to see, reflecting the curators' personal viewpoints. Meanwhile, Trump has called for the Smithsonian to erect a 30-foot statue of George Washington, whom he described as “America’s Greatest Hero,” despite Washington's history as a lifelong slaveholder. Burgum's letter suggests that this situation may mark the first time executive branch intervention of this kind has been deemed necessary.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 22:04 UTC)

President Trump is moving forward with plans to spend $84,000 on warning signs outside the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, accusing its leadership of ideological bias. The National Park Service will install around a dozen signs that will inform visitors about what Trump describes as the museum's "ideological capture" and aim to "correct inaccurate information presented in the Museum." This initiative follows an executive order signed by Trump in July, and it comes as Lonnie Bunch, the first Black leader of the Smithsonian, announced his retirement at the end of the year.