A sweeping new White House report concluded that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) has become a taxpayer-backed institution of "ideological capture" and "extreme political activism.""The report concludes that the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Museum of American History in particular, under its current leadership and current interpretive ideology, cannot be trusted to tell America’s story honestly and in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic," the White House Domestic Policy Council wrote in its July 4 report following up on President Donald Trump’s March 27 executive order."By the intention and at the direction of current Museum and Smithsonian leadership, NMAH has become subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love."According to the 162-page "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" report, delivered on America's 250th birthday, NMAH treats the American story as a political tool rather than a shared national inheritance."At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, visitors young and old should encounter the story of the United States told with honesty, seriousness, and pride," the report's executive summary began.
"In particular, it should help the American people understand where America came from, what makes it distinctive, and why it is worth preserving."TOP HIGHLIGHTS FROM TRUMP'S LATE-NIGHT JULY 4 ADDRESS: 'NO DREAM IN HISTORY IS BIGGER'National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig appears with former first lady Jill Biden and Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch during the presentation of Biden's 2021 inaugural dresses at the Smithsonian on Jan.25, 2023.
(MANDEL NGAN/AFP)Instead, the museum has moved "away from straightforward historical education and scholarship" and toward activism, the report found."Ant...