- President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to eliminate what he deems “improper ideology” at the Smithsonian Institute and National Parks Service. The move comes as the Trump administration continues to target Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in government.
- The White House argued the museums and parks focus too much on subjects of race and gender while minimizing American accomplishments.
- Critics argue the executive order is akin to “whitewashing” American history.
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President Donald Trump is continuing his tamping down of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within government institutions, going after what he calls “improper ideology” at the Smithsonian Institution.
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, March 27, directing changes at the world’s largest museum and research complex in addition to U.S. national parks.
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What does the order do?
In the order dubbed “Restoring Truth in American History,” the White House said it wants to restore “truth and sanity to American history by revitalizing key cultural institutions and reversing the spread of divisive ideology.”
Trump’s order directs the Department of the Interior and other agencies to examine Smithsonian exhibits and National Park Service sites to weed out what it deems “improper ideology” or anti-American sentiment.
Does it mean Confederate monuments will return?
The move also appears to tease a potential comeback of honoring Confederate figures, after the Biden administration’s removal of many such statues and monuments in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests.
The order mandates the return of statues, monuments and markers removed or altered since 2020, which The Associated Press noted could include Confederate memorials removed over the last few years.
What else does the executive action order?
The president is ordering that future spending on the Smithsonian Institute not focus on efforts that he says “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.”
Why are some opposed?
Critics contend that executive orders like this, coupled with the Trump administration’s efforts to scrub DEI initiatives, are examples of “whitewashing” America’s sometimes bloody history and argue all Americans deserve U.S. history in its entirety.
