President Donald Trump ordered the installation of warning signs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History on Friday, directing visitors to materials he believes correct what he calls misleading narratives in the museum's exhibits.
The signs will be placed on National Park Service sidewalks leading to the museum entrance and will reference a White House report released on July 4 that claimed the institution "cannot be trusted to tell America's story honestly." Trump instructed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the National Park Service to erect the "temporary signage" to alert visitors about what the president describes as inaccurate information and to point them toward "locations and resources for accurate information regarding America's history."
The move represents an escalation in Trump's ongoing effort to reshape how federal institutions present American history. In March 2025, he signed an earlier executive order targeting federal funding for programs he said promoted "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology." Friday's order builds on that foundation by bringing the dispute into public view on the museum grounds themselves.
In his Friday directive, Trump wrote that Smithsonian leadership "does not present American history as a shared national inheritance to be taught and celebrated, but instead views American history as a 'prime tool' to advance ideas of social justice and the radical transformation of our society." He stated that both the institution and museum leadership "cannot be trusted to tell America's story with honesty and gratitude."
Trump ordered multiple officials to implement the policy, tasking OMB Director Russell Vought, the General Services Administration administrator, and the assistant to the president for domestic policy to "use all available authorities" to enforce the order's directives.
The Smithsonian Institution declined comment on Friday. However, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch responded earlier this month to the White House report in an email to NBC News, characterizing the allegations as inaccurate. "The White House's report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History," Bunch wrote. He emphasized that the institution's work "is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America's story" and stressed its commitment to "nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy, and integrity."
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Posting warning signs on a museum's sidewalk is a bold move that turns a political disagreement about historical interpretation into a public spectacle, and the tactic suggests Trump views the battle over America's story as far from over."
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