Last week, we informed you that the Trump administration said it would review exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday next year. A chilling letter sent to the organization explained that the White House wanted to assess all public-facing content for “tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals.”
Donald Trump got in on the action on Tuesday, whining on Truth Social that museums in the U.S. are “the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.'” He added: “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.” I like how he capitalizes slavery, but also implies that history museums talk about it too much.
This cursed review beganafter a 35-year-old lawyer named Lindsey Halligan moved to D.C. to work for Trumasp as a special assistant and senior associate staff secretary. (If you squint, she also looks a little like Trump 1.0 main character Hope Hicks.) Halligan said after she arrived in D.C., she visited some museums and didn’t like what she saw, so she ran to her boss to propose an executive order, which was released in March.
The day after Trump’s little missive, Halligan went on Fox News and said that, as a country, we should be patting ourselves on the back more. “The fact our country was involved in slavery is awful—no one thinks otherwise,” she said, leaning quite hard on that passive voice. “But what I saw when I was going through the museum, personally, was an overemphasis on slavery, and I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we’ve come since slavery.”
Trump Hides History: In a shocking moment, Trump Assistant Lindsey Halligan says there is an “overemphasis” on slavery at the Smithsonian Institute, and there should instead be an “overemphasis on how far we’ve come.”
“There’s a lot of history to our country, both positive and negative, but we need to keep moving forward. We can’t just keep focusing on the negative—all that does is divide us,” she added. “Like just about every other country in the world, the United States has a checkered past. We should be able to take our kids, our students through the Smithsonian and be proud when we leave.” Does Halligan also think documentaries need to end on an uplifting note?
The Guardianreports that seven museums in the Smithsonian network have been flagged for review so far: the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Museum of Asian Art, and the upcoming National Museum of the American Latino.
Here’s a taste of what these censorship lovers want to change:
The National Portrait Gallery is being singled out for focusing on how the Chinese Exclusion Act and other racist immigration laws contradicted the Statue of Liberty’s welcoming message. The African art museum is targeted over the George Floyd film. And the Asian art museum is flagged for exhibitions for claiming to impose western gender ideology on traditional cultures.
Consider this debacle exhibit 4753 of how conservatives are the real snowflakes.
Breaking: Man Funding Concentration Camps and Terrorizing Poor People Thinks He Still Has a Shot at Entry to Heaven
Trump: “I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I hear I’m not doing well. I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole.”
Former Fox News host and current U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro reportedly told prosecutors in her office not to seek felony charges for people who carry registered rifles and shotguns in the district. Apparently, someone in the Justice Department thinks D.C.’s laws violate the Second Amendment. [ABC News]
Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. could cost upward of $1 million per day. [The Intercept]
The State Department said it’s reviewing more than 55 million people who have U.S. visas—including tourist visas—for any violations that could lead to deportation. [Associated Press]
ICE detention centers in three states have confirmed cases of tuberculosis, the most deadly infectious disease in the world. [The American Prospect]
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the entire southern border wall will be painted black to make it hotter, so fewer desperate migrants will try to climb it. [CBS News]
First, there was “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida and the “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana. Now there will be a Nebraska immigrant detention center called the “Cornhusker Clink.” Gross in every way. [Associated Press]
The Department of Education rescinded decades-old guidance saying that schools must support schoolchildren who aren’t fluent in English. There are roughly 5 million kids considered English learners. [Washington Post]
DHS has asked federal immigration courts to officially reopen more than 49,000 deportation cases that had previously been deemed not a priority for enforcement, including 6,000 in New York City alone. [Gothamist]
The Army agency tasked with protecting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has had to pull agents from criminal investigations because he requires security at homes in three states: He has residences in Tennessee and D.C., plus his second wife lives in Minnesota with their three children. [Washington Post]
Trump is continuing in his quest to turn the White House into Mar-a-Lago by DJ-ing from his iPad on the ugly new Rose Garden patio and closing the place to the public. Tours are temporarily suspended until the construction of his dumb ballroom is complete. [Mediaite/NBC News]
Elon Musk is already threatening to throw money at a 2028 JD Vance ticket. [Wall Street Journal]
This has been your weekly Barf Bag, thanks for reading!