[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1246531689.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Saturday, July 4, the Trump Administration released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian\u2018s National Museum of American History of \u201cinstitutional capture by a radical, activist ideology.\u201d On Tuesday, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III finally responded.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn an email to staff obtained by the Washington P<\/em>ost and published Wednesday evening, Bunch wrote that the report was \u201cnot a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.\u201d He also asserted that the Smithsonian\u2019s work is \u201cdriven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America\u2019s story\u201d and the institution is committed \u201cnonpartisanship,\u201d \u201cindependence,\u201d and \u201cintegrity.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBunch\u2019s response is a rare rebuke of the Trump Administration\u2019s ongoing attacks on the Smithsonian; the secretary has steadfastly asserted the instituion\u2019s independence in internal messaging to staff\u2014as he did on Tuesday\u2014but has mostly refrained from speaking candidly about the administration\u2019s approach in public, aside from a few semi-private events. Per an Atlantic<\/em> profile of Bunch published last month, the secretary met with Trump over lunch last summer. Bunch, according to writer Clint Smith, had expected the president to raise his disapproval of the Smithsonian\u2019s curation and telling of American history, but no such discussion occurred, as Trump mostly asked Bunch for feedback on White House decoration, and briefly spoke about Republican\u00a0calls to relocate\u00a0the space shuttle\u00a0Discovery<\/em>\u00a0from the Smithsonian\u2019s National Air and Space Museum annex to Houston.<\/p>\n \n\tPrior to the July 4 report, it had seemed that the administration\u2019s focus on the Smithsonian had dissipated some from the relentless series of attacks in the first half of 2025, which peaked with Trump attempting fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery, a Smithsonian-run museum, which Bunch asserted that he had no authority to do. Its director, Kim Saget,\u00a0resigned soon after; she has since been hired by the Milwaukee Art Museum. The last development on the White House\u2019s efforts to bring the Smithsonian to heel was in December, when a leaked email showed Russell Vought and Vince Haley, the budget director for the White House and the director of the Domestic Policy Council, respectively,\u00a0accusing\u00a0the Smithsonian of falling \u201cfar short\u201d of turning over requested internal and external documentation of its museums.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile the July 4 report does not recommend specific remediation for the issues it claims exist at NMAH, it says the president has \u201ca duty and obligation to seek reforms of the Smithsonian, and to urge the Chief Justice of the United States, as the Chancellor of the Smithsonian, as well as the Vice President, as a Regent of the Smithsonian and as President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, to take appropriate action to restore the integrity of the National Museum of American History.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDear Colleagues,<\/p>\n \n\tAs you may have seen, on July 4th, the White House Domestic Policy Council released a report about its ongoing review of the Smithsonian, with particular attention on the National Museum of American History. We continue to review the report and its findings carefully. In the coming days, we expect continued media attention and will comment as needed.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History. At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America\u2019s story. As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope, and clarity and as part of that duty, we are dedicated to excellence, reflection, and growth.<\/p>\n \n\tWe remain focused on what grounds us: a steadfast commitment to scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity. For nearly 180 years, the Smithsonian has worked alongside partners across government\u2014from the White House to Congress to our governing Board of Regents\u2014guided by our enduring mission to increase and diffuse knowledge. That purpose remains: to pursue knowledge with rigor and to serve the American public with clarity and care.<\/p>\n \n\tThis past weekend offered a vivid reminder of that purpose and our mission in motion. Visitors from around the world gathered to mark the 250th, moving through our museums \u2014pausing before a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Smithsonian Castle, encountering bison sculptures on the National Mall, and stepping into the future in our newest galleries at the National Air and Space Museum. Across the Smithsonian, history and possibility stood side by side, inviting reflection, curiosity, and inspiration.<\/p>\n \n\tNone of this happens without you. As I have often stated, the Smithsonian is the glue that holds the nation together, and that is because of your dedication, your care, and your belief in what this institution makes possible. Every day, we are honored to tell America\u2019s stories and hold that responsibility with the utmost regard, respect, and fidelity. We remain committed to fulfilling our mission for generations to come.<\/p>\n \n\tThank you for all that you do and for everything you make possible each day.<\/p>\n \n\tSincerely, [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/smithsonian-secretary-lonnie-bunch-white-house-report-july-4-1234791701\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1246531689.jpg?w=1024″] On Saturday, July 4, the Trump Administration released a scathing 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian\u2018s National Museum of American History of \u201cinstitutional capture by a radical, activist ideology.\u201d On Tuesday, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III finally responded. In an email to staff obtained by the Washington Post and published Wednesday evening, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,226],"class_list":["post-2036190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-artnews-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2036190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036190\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2036190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2036190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2036190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\t\tHere\u2019s Bunch\u2019s full email to staff: \t<\/h2>\n
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Lonnie Bunch<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n