Trump's Trials - Smithsonian museum to get Trump-ordered warning about 'inaccurate information'

Episode Date: July 27, 2026

President Trump says Smithsonian exhibits are anti-white and dishonest. Museum leaders react to Trump's order that signage be placed outside a museum that "corrects inaccurate information."Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Trump's terms. I'm Scott Detrow. The president has both an ability and a willingness to use the power of his office, to think outside the box. Nobody makes a better deal than President Trump. We're going to do better and better and better. Nobody can believe what they're watching. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's recent coverage of the 47th president. With a focus on ways his administration is pushing the boundaries of presidential power.

Here's the latest from NPR. I'm Leila Faudel. The Trump administration is ordering warning signs outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. President Trump has been attacking the museum, claiming it does not accurately depict the nation's history. NPR's Janet Ujong Lee reports that this is not sitting well with many historians. The executive order comes weeks after the administration's report saying that the Smithsonian was engaging in anti-white rhetoric and transgender activism. The Trump administration also called out the institution for being insufficiently patriotic. Reaction to the president's executive order was swift.

The White House seeks to impose a narrow, singular celebratory narrative of American greatness. That's Beth English, the executive director of the organization of American historians. Crucially, that narrative would erase the conflict, the struggle, the diversity, the complexity that have always defined the American experience. She says these warning signs, which, are to be posted by the National Park Service outside the museum, are a targeted attack to break the public's trust of the Smithsonian and its historians. I think the signage is kind of clever. Mike Gonzalez is a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation,

a conservative think tank. He appeared before a House Subcommittee last week, criticizing the Smithsonian leadership. He says he's delighted to see the museum will be able to correct what he says are its errors. It's not really a trigger warning, but it's a way to say, hey, what you're going to see, it's not an objective representation of your own history. NPR reached out to the Smithsonian and the National Park Service. Neither responded to request for a comment before air.

Janet Ujongli and PR News. A note before we go, if you value this show and want to help keep it going, a free and totally easy way to support us is to rate and review Trump's terms on the platform where you listen. in a world of algorithms that goes a long way toward helping us reach new listeners. If you have left a review in the past, thank you so much. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's Terms from NPR.