The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to install about a dozen temporary signs outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, warning visitors about what the White House describes as ideological bias in the museum's presentation of U.S. history.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum disclosed the plans in a September 3 letter to Senators Jeff Merkley and Lisa Murkowski.
The initiative follows President Donald Trump's July 24 executive order directing the Interior Department, through the National Park Service, to install temporary signage near the museum.
The order was based on a White House report that accused Smithsonian leadership of presenting American history through an ideological framework.
The signage is part of a broader administration effort to influence how the Smithsonian presents American history, an issue that has generated debate over the institution's independence and role in interpreting the nation's past.
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The Trump administration is moving ahead with plans to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History that would warn visitors about what the White House has called ideological bias. https://t.co/Yh0bLQf8QG
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 16, 2026
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