President Donald Trump has launched an attack on the nation’s museums for being “WOKE,” specifically targeting the Smithsonian in all caps as “OUT OF CONTROL.”
The Trump administration is on a crusade against institutions of learning, from universities to museums, to ensure they align with a narrative that presents history in a way that glorifies the nation rather than documents and explains the American historical journey, warts and all.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon, the president wrote: “The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE’.”
He continues: “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”
Trump laid out his intentions, writing: “We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.”
He concluded: “This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums.”
The reaction on social media was fast, with former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh asking on X: “So now he wants to force them to discuss how ‘good’ slavery was?”
Rep Yvette Clarke wrote on BlueSky: “History is WOKE! Facts are WOKE! Museums are WOKE! Democracy is WOKE! Truth is WOKE! Ignorance? NOT WOKE!”
CNN factchecker Daniel Dale wrote: “It takes a single trip to any Smithsonian, including the American history museum and the African American history and culture museum, to know that the claim they feature ‘nothing about Success’ and ‘nothing about Brightness’ is categorically false.”
Other posts questioned whether the president understands the concept of a museum, given his complaint that they have “nothing about the Future.”
It is also unclear to which attorneys he is referring in this process of review and revisionism.
Last week, Trump announced he was ordering a thorough review of the Smithsonian Institution, the group of museums, education, and research centers established by the U.S. government, to ensure its exhibitions reflect the administration’s view of American history.
That announcement led to a heated scene on CNN when pundit and fitness guru Jillian Michae;s was accused of “historical revisionism” by Rep. Ritchie Torres after she defended President Trump’s latest review of the Smithsonian.
“He’s not whitewashing slavery, and you cannot tie Imperialism and racism and slavery to just one race, which is pretty much what every single exhibit does,” Jillian Michaels told host Abby Phillip during Newsnight on Wednesday.
It takes a single trip to any Smithsonian, including the American history museum and the African American history and culture museum, to know that the claim they feature “nothing about Success” and “nothing about Brightness” is categorically false. https://t.co/rE9xjFZgt2
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 19, 2025
When Michaels began to speak about slavery being “thousands of years old,” Torres chimed in, saying: “This is extraordinary historical revisionism.”
Phillip then challenged Michaels, saying, “I’m surprised that you’re trying to litigate who was the beneficiary of slavery and who was not.”
“In the context of American history, what are you saying is incorrect by saying that it was white people oppressing Black people?” she added.
Michaels, who formerly appeared on The Biggest Loser, answered, “I’m not. What is you cannot…every single is like oh no no no, this is all because ‘white people bad,’ and that’s just not the truth.”
“For example, every single exhibit, I have a list of every single one, people migrated from Cuba because ‘white people bad.’ Not because of Castro,” she adds.
Michaels then took to X hours after the fiery discussion to defend her position.
History is WOKE!
— @repyvetteclarke.bsky.social (@RepYvetteClarke) August 19, 2025
Facts are WOKE!
Museums are WOKE!
Democracy is WOKE!
Truth is WOKE!
Ignorance? NOT WOKE! https://t.co/bluE8wvQ6W
On the previous night’s installment of Newsnight, Scott Jennings also defended Trump’s cultural review by saying that those opposing it were the same people on the left who incited the mass removal of historical statues tied to slavery.
“Yeah, the last time we sort of talked about the changing of historical exhibits was when all these angry mobs all over the country tore down historical statues all over the place, and the people who seemed to be angriest about the Smithsonian review were cheering that on,” Jennings argued.
Trump’s cultural review comes ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday – a move that falls in line with other recent takeovers of institutions of learning and the arts.
The president began attacking colleges for their admissions policies and teachings almost as soon as he took office. Trump has also taken over the management of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, personally suggesting programming and honorees, and announcing that he will host the famous honors ceremony. There is also a move to rename the center’s opera house after First Lady Melania Trump.
Earlier this month, the commander-in-chief ordered the Smithsonian to erase all references to his impeachment in the exhibit “A Glorious Burden.”
Staff have now restored the references, despite the president’s precise demands, according to USA Today.
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