White House Attacks Smithsonian's History | Art News

Art News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 9, 2026 · 2m

The White House just slammed the Smithsonian in a new report calling its exhibits “extreme political activism,” accusing the National Museum of American History of promoting an “ideological agenda” centered on race, immigration, and gender — even labeling director Anthea M. Hartig an “activist.” The administration claims the museum favors non-white, non-Christian, non-male Americans and cites exhibits like the monarch butterfly installation as evidence of “anti-white activism.” With over a billion dollars in federal funding at stake, historians fear censorship, while the Smithsonian stands…