Trump administration plans ideological warning signs for Smithsonian

The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. Allison Robbert/AP hide caption

The Trump Administration says it is preparing a dozen signs for its Washington, D.C., museum sites that will warn visitors about the Smithsonian Institution in general, and the National Museum of American History in particular.

In letters to U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Jeff Merkley, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote that a "commitment to public transparency" and "academic honesty" required the administration to advise visitors that "the leadership of the Smithsonian and NMAH have altered the museum's role from accurately and coherently telling America's story to using the museum as a tool to advance personal, radical ideologies."

Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, and Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, are the top members of the Senate Appropriations committee, which oversees Smithsonian funding.

The signs, which the administration says are temporary, will be placed on National Park Service land and will reflect President Trump's July executive order, called " Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution ."

The Sept. 3 letter from Burgum outlines several grievances, including that Anthea Hartig, the director of the American History museum, "has stated that history is 'a prime tool of social justice'," and that the museum seeks "to legitimize illegal immigration and open borders." It charges that several exhibits "present ideological viewpoints inconsistent with biology, including ideologies that sex is not binary."

Mark Ehlers holds a sign outside the National Museum of American History in July 2026. Allison Robbert/AP hide caption

The letter also says that "visitors should be aware of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch's history of invidious discrimination and anti-white animus."