Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch rejects White House report accusing museum of ideological bias

The White House Domestic Policy Council released a 162‑page report on July 4, 2026 titled “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.” The document accused the museum, led by Director Anthea Hartig, of “extreme political activism,” “thinly veiled anti‑Americanism,” and of presenting U.S. history through a radical, activist lens that underplays the Founding Fathers and celebrates identity‑based activism.

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch responded in a memo to staff, calling the report “not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.” He defended the institution’s 180‑year tradition of nonpartisan scholarship, accuracy and independence. The Organization of American Historians and other historian groups rejected the White House findings, describing the report as “another example of executive branch overreach.” The dispute follows a Trump administration executive order (March 2025) directing federal cultural institutions to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti‑American” ideology. The controversy highlights a broader political fight over how American history is presented in publicly funded museums.