White House: Smithsonian Pushes Woke US History
by Charlie McCarthy, Newsmax.com, July 6, 2026
The White House released a report accusing the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History of taking what it described as a woke approach to presenting the nation's history and called for a commitment "to restoring truth and sanity in how American history is presented and taught."
The 162-page report, "Saving America's Story," was released Saturday by the White House Domestic Policy Council following President Donald Trump's March executive order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," and the ongoing review of the Smithsonian.
The report argues that the Smithsonian's flagship history museum has abandoned its original mission of fostering patriotism in favor of political activism rooted in what it describes as critical social justice ideology.
"Our central finding is not that the Museum has simply added overlooked stories," the report states. "Rather, it is that Museum leadership has explicitly adopted an ideological framework that no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance to be taught or celebrated, but as a political instrument to divide, dispirit, and discourage our citizens."
According to the report, the museum minimizes the nation's Founding Fathers and founding documents while emphasizing themes of systemic racism, oppression, and national failure.
It contends visitors will find no major exhibits dedicated to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, the Continental Congress, or the American Revolution, while figures such as Benjamin Franklin are presented primarily through the lens of slavery.
The report also criticizes museum leadership, particularly Director Anthea Hartig, citing public statements in which she described history as a "prime tool of social justice," advocated connecting scholarship with activism, and said the nation's 250th anniversary should be "problematized."
The report argues those views conflict with the museum's founding purpose of celebrating America's heritage.
Among its other findings, the report alleges the museum promotes activism related to illegal immigration, transgender ideology, and race while portraying Christianity primarily as an instrument of conquest instead of acknowledging its role in shaping the nation's founding principles.
It also criticizes exhibits that characterize Thanksgiving as a "National Day of Mourning" and portray European settlement largely as colonial oppression.
The New York Times reported the White House's findings are the latest step in Trump's broader effort to reshape the Smithsonian and promote what he has described as a more patriotic presentation of American history.
The newspaper noted the Smithsonian has defended its independence, while historians disputed several of the report's conclusions, arguing that exhibits highlighting the American Revolution and George Washington remain on display.
The White House report concludes that because the Smithsonian receives more than $1 billion annually in federal funding, taxpayers have a right to expect it to present American history in a manner that is "accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling."
It recommends continuing reforms under Trump's executive order to remove what it calls ideological bias and restore the museum's original mission of celebrating the nation's heritage.
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