The Trump administration's sustained campaign against what it called "radical, activist ideology" at America's national museums has claimed its biggest scalp yet: Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III announced he's stepping down by the end of the year.
The Trump administration sent a letter to the Smithsonian Board of Regents, urging them to abandon its "radical political agenda" and pivot to a faithful "American story."
The Smithsonian Institution gets about $1 billion a year from American taxpayers. In return, it runs a "decolonization working group" and a program to preserve the history of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The White House released a sweeping report targeting the Smithsonian Institute's "political activism," an effort that aligns with President Trump's executive order on restoring American history.
The Trump administration is conducting a review of museums as the Smithsonian in order to ensure the exhibits are in line with President Trump's order, "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History."