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Smithsonian Removes President Trump's Name from Impeachment Exhibit, Amid Ongoing Pressure from the White House

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has removed all references to President Trump from an impeachment exhibit display, following a content review triggered by mounting pressure from the White House. The decision comes in the wake of Trump's recent executive order calling for the removal of "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology" from the network of Smithsonian museums. The exhibit, "A Glorious Burden," had previously included a temporary label describing Trump's impeachment, but the label has now been replaced with a 2008 label that lists only three presidents who faced removal: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Smithsonian National Museum of American History has removed all references to President Trump from an impeachment exhibit display, following a content review triggered by the White House.
  • The decision comes in the wake of Trump's executive order calling for the removal of "improper, divisive or anti-American ideology" from the Smithsonian museums.
  • The exhibit, "A Glorious Burden," previously included a temporary label describing Trump's impeachment, but the label has now been replaced with a 2008 label listing three presidents who faced removal: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon.
  • The removal of Trump's name from the exhibit is the latest in a series of incidents where the president has sought to alter cultural institutions to align with MAGA values.
  • The Smithsonian has agreed to restore the impeachment case to its 2008 appearance, stating that the section of the exhibition had not been updated since 2008.

Statistics:

  • 2: The number of times President Trump was impeached during his first term in office.
  • 21: The number of museums in the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex.
  • 12: The number of years Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, led the gallery "with passion and creativity."
  • September 2021: The month when the temporary label describing Trump's impeachment was placed on display in the exhibit.
  • 2008: The year when the label listing three presidents who faced removal: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon, was originally placed in the exhibit.

Sources:

  • The Washington Post
  • The Post's source familiar with the content review
  • The Smithsonian National Museum of American History
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • The Post's source detailing Kim Sajet's resignation
  • Associated Press
  • Getty Images
  • The Independent
  • The Smithsonian Institution's website

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