Smithsonian, White House
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Claims that a White House official in charge of U.S. President Donald Trump's mandate to review exhibits within the Smithsonian Institution said, "You can't really talk about slavery honestly unless you also talk about hope and progress," circulated online in August 2025.
The White House plans to conduct a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian Institution's museum exhibitions, materials and operations ahead of America's 250th anniversary.
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ARTnews on MSNWhite House Targets Specific Artworks at Smithsonian, Including Painting of Refugees and Fauci Portrait
Published on the White House website as an article called "President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian," the list included some shows that the President had already decried, in
Lindsey Halligan, the White House official leading a review of the Smithsonian Institution, argued you "can't really talk about slavery honestly unless you talk about hope and progress" during a Newsmax appearance on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday he ordered his attorneys to review the Smithsonian museums, calling their portrayal of U.S. history too ‘woke.’