On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his attacks on the Smithsonian Institution, labeling it “OUT OF CONTROL” for its focus on “how bad Slavery was” and neglecting “Success, Brightness, and the Future,” in a Truth Social post, as reported by CNN and ABC News. Trump’s remarks, part of a broader campaign against cultural institutions, targeted the Smithsonian’s 17 museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which he previously praised in 2017 as a “beautiful tribute” (NBC News). The transatlantic slave trade, which forcibly brought 12.5 million Africans to the Americas over three centuries, remains a pivotal issue in U.S. history, central to the 1861–1865 Civil War and ongoing civil rights struggles, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests (Smithsonian data).
Trump’s comments follow a White House letter announcing a review of eight Smithsonian museums to “celebrate American exceptionalism” and remove “divisive narratives,” per The Hill. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump condemned the move on X, stating, “If telling the truth about slavery makes a museum ‘too woke,’ the problem isn’t the history, it’s the people who want to erase it” (@AttorneyCrump, August 19, 2025). The Smithsonian, receiving 62% of its $1.2 billion budget from federal funds (Smithsonian, 2024), faces pressure amid Trump’s March 2025 executive order to curb “race-centered ideology” (The Guardian). X posts from @SaharaReporters and @TheRoot amplified Crump’s critique, while @AmericaFirstUSA supported Trump, reflecting polarized views on historical narratives, with 68% of Americans favoring inclusive museum exhibits (Pew Research, 2024).
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