March 29, 2025
ALTERNET
On Thursday, March 27, President Donald Trump issued yet another executive order — this time, one aimed at the Smithsonian Institute. Trump called for expressions of "improper ideologies" or to be removed from Smithsonian's museums and information centers, and for the removal of displays that "promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy,"
Journalist Lauren Wolfe was quick to respond on X, formerly Twitter, and posted, "This is unabashed fascism."
Wolfe isn't the only journalist who is speaking out.
In a column published on March 29, the Daily Beast's David Rothkopf lays out some reasons why he finds Trump's use of the words "improper ideology" so troubling.
"What damage could such an exercise do?" Rothkopf argues. "After all, the Smithsonian is not under the control of the president! He has no authority to alter its content or behavior in any way. And if he wants to send J.D. Vance to pick a fight with a panda well, that's probably less damage than he might do participating in high-level national security chats or during recon for an invasion of Greenland. But the order contained several elements that, are in fact, deeply disturbing. One, of course, is that it is racist to its core — a manifestation of white supremacists' longstanding grievances with depictions of American history that actually tell the truth about our bloody and cruel past."
The Daily Beast columnist continues, "And it contains one phrase in particular that made my blood run cold, because of what it plainly says about what Trump and his aides are trying to engineer here in America: Down deep, in the section dubiously titled 'Saving Our Smithsonian,' is the requirement that the VP and other aides work with the people who run our national museums to 'remove improper ideology from such properties.'"
Rothkopf stresses that when a president speaks of "improper ideologies," it is flat-out thought policing.
"Improper ideologies? Those alone are two words that signal the end of America as we know it," Rothkopf warns. "There are not supposed to be 'improper ideologies' in these United States, a country with freedom of expression woven into the fabric of its founding documents."
On Thursday, March 27, President Donald Trump issued yet another executive order — this time, one aimed at the Smithsonian Institute. Trump called for expressions of "improper ideologies" or to be removed from Smithsonian's museums and information centers, and for the removal of displays that "promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy,"
Journalist Lauren Wolfe was quick to respond on X, formerly Twitter, and posted, "This is unabashed fascism."
Wolfe isn't the only journalist who is speaking out.
In a column published on March 29, the Daily Beast's David Rothkopf lays out some reasons why he finds Trump's use of the words "improper ideology" so troubling.
"What damage could such an exercise do?" Rothkopf argues. "After all, the Smithsonian is not under the control of the president! He has no authority to alter its content or behavior in any way. And if he wants to send J.D. Vance to pick a fight with a panda well, that's probably less damage than he might do participating in high-level national security chats or during recon for an invasion of Greenland. But the order contained several elements that, are in fact, deeply disturbing. One, of course, is that it is racist to its core — a manifestation of white supremacists' longstanding grievances with depictions of American history that actually tell the truth about our bloody and cruel past."
The Daily Beast columnist continues, "And it contains one phrase in particular that made my blood run cold, because of what it plainly says about what Trump and his aides are trying to engineer here in America: Down deep, in the section dubiously titled 'Saving Our Smithsonian,' is the requirement that the VP and other aides work with the people who run our national museums to 'remove improper ideology from such properties.'"
Rothkopf stresses that when a president speaks of "improper ideologies," it is flat-out thought policing.
"Improper ideologies? Those alone are two words that signal the end of America as we know it," Rothkopf warns. "There are not supposed to be 'improper ideologies' in these United States, a country with freedom of expression woven into the fabric of its founding documents."
'Improper ideology': Trump executive order targets the Smithsonian
Photo by J. Amill Santiago on Unsplash
Photo by J. Amill Santiago on Unsplash
March 28, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump has elicited a fresh wave of anger after he signed an executive order on Thursday targeting exhibits or programs critical of the United States at the Smithsonian Institution, a sprawling network of largely free museums and Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo.
The order aims to prevent federal money from going to displays that "divide Americans based on race" or "promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy," as well as remove "improper ideology" from Smithsonian's museums, education centers, and research centers.
"This is unabashed fascism," wrote the journalist Lauren Wolfe on X on Thursday. Amy Rutenberg, a history professor at Iowa State University, wrote: "Last week, while visiting several Smithsonian museums, I kept wondering how long it would take for this administration to direct exhibits to be pulled. Not long, it turns out."
Another observer, journalist and founding editor of the outlet SpyTalk Jeff Stein, remarked that "Trump goes full-on Soviet with intent to scrub Smithsonian museums etc. of 'improper ideology.'"
The move highlights Trump's desire to reshape not only American politics, but cultural institutions too.
The order, which included an accompanying fact sheet, also directs U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to reinstate monuments, memorials, statues, and other properties that have been taken down or altered since the beginning of 2020 to "perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology."
The order also specifies that U.S. Vice President JD Vance—a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents—will be tasked with identifying and appointing Smithsonian board members "who are committed to advancing the celebration of America's extraordinary heritage and progress."
The executive order singles out specific museums, like the African American History and Culture, and a "forthcoming" American Women's History Museum plan to celebrate what the White House described as "the exploits of male athletes participating in women's sports."
"Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology," according to the executive order.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) connected Trump's targeting of Smithsonian to his administration's attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
"First Trump removes any reference of diversity from the present—now he's trying to remove it from our history. Let me be PERFECTLY clear—you cannot erase our past and you cannot stop us from fulfilling our future," she wrote on X on Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has elicited a fresh wave of anger after he signed an executive order on Thursday targeting exhibits or programs critical of the United States at the Smithsonian Institution, a sprawling network of largely free museums and Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo.
The order aims to prevent federal money from going to displays that "divide Americans based on race" or "promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy," as well as remove "improper ideology" from Smithsonian's museums, education centers, and research centers.
"This is unabashed fascism," wrote the journalist Lauren Wolfe on X on Thursday. Amy Rutenberg, a history professor at Iowa State University, wrote: "Last week, while visiting several Smithsonian museums, I kept wondering how long it would take for this administration to direct exhibits to be pulled. Not long, it turns out."
Another observer, journalist and founding editor of the outlet SpyTalk Jeff Stein, remarked that "Trump goes full-on Soviet with intent to scrub Smithsonian museums etc. of 'improper ideology.'"
The move highlights Trump's desire to reshape not only American politics, but cultural institutions too.
The order, which included an accompanying fact sheet, also directs U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to reinstate monuments, memorials, statues, and other properties that have been taken down or altered since the beginning of 2020 to "perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology."
The order also specifies that U.S. Vice President JD Vance—a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents—will be tasked with identifying and appointing Smithsonian board members "who are committed to advancing the celebration of America's extraordinary heritage and progress."
The executive order singles out specific museums, like the African American History and Culture, and a "forthcoming" American Women's History Museum plan to celebrate what the White House described as "the exploits of male athletes participating in women's sports."
"Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology," according to the executive order.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) connected Trump's targeting of Smithsonian to his administration's attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
"First Trump removes any reference of diversity from the present—now he's trying to remove it from our history. Let me be PERFECTLY clear—you cannot erase our past and you cannot stop us from fulfilling our future," she wrote on X on Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment