Opinion
Here’s One Smithsonian Painting the White House Wants to Censor
Robert McCoy
Escalating its mission to eliminate so-called “woke” content from the Smithsonian, Trump’s team has just publicly identified artwork it hopes to censor.
On Thursday, the White House’s official rapid response X account shared a post casting aspersions on a Rigoberto A. Gonzalez painting titled Refugees Crossing the Border Wall Into South Texas.
The piece depicts a family of four in Baroque style: two parents with a young boy and a baby, at a ladder leaning against the southern border wall. A finalist for the National Portrait Gallery’s 2022 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, the piece appeared in that Smithsonian Museum from 2022 to 2023, according to the competition’s website.
The White House social team, seemingly irked by this humanizing portrayal of people demonized by the Trump administration, accused the work of “commemorating the act of illegally crossing the ‘exclusionary’ border.”
“This is what President Trump means when he says the Smithsonian is ‘OUT OF CONTROL,’” the post says—quoting from a recent Truth Social post in which the president lamented that the Smithsonian overemphasizes negative aspects of America, such as “how bad Slavery was.”
In a Thursday press release, the White House listed Gonzalez’s painting with other supposedly damning proof that the institution is in the grip of wokeness, including an American History Museum collection on LGBTQ+ history.
White House targets 'woke' Smithsonian content in new list
Janay Kingsberry, Sophia Nguyen, Maura Judkis
Thu, August 21, 2025
WASHINGTON POST
A view of the Musical Crossroads gallery at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.(Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) -
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The White House increased its pressure on the Smithsonian on Thursday, calling out a list of exhibitions and materials mentioning race, slavery, transgender identity and immigration to bolster President Donald Trump’s ongoing criticism that the institution is too focused on divisive and negative aspects of American history.
In an official, unsigned article titled “President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian,” the White House called out seven museums for their exhibits and messaging — including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of the American Latino.
Representatives for each of the museums named in the article did not respond or directed a request for comment to the central Smithsonian administration, whose spokesperson declined to comment.
“As President Trump promised, the Trump Administration is committed to rooting out Woke and divisive ideology in our government and institutions,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in an email. “Taxpayer money should not be used for things that pit Americans against one another. Our Smithsonian should exhibit history in an accurate, honest, and factual way.”
Among the targets of the White House’s list were two museums that have not yet broken ground on buildings — the National Museum of the American Latino and American Women’s History Museum — and works by individual artists.
“In a way I’m kind of honored to be included in this list of important exhibitions and art projects that shed light on many viewpoints and diverse realities that are part of American History,” said artist Hugo Crosthwaite in an email to The Post. Crosthwaite created a portrait, named by the White House, of former National Institutes of Health official Anthony S. Fauci, who “has made a significant impact on the wellness of this country,” he said.
Artist Rigoberto A. González, who had been spending the day painting when a friend texted him the link to the White House website, had similar sentiments about his work being scrutinized: “You know the saying that there’s only good publicity? I’m thinking that maybe somebody will want to buy a painting.”
A view of the Musical Crossroads gallery at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.(Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) -
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways
The White House increased its pressure on the Smithsonian on Thursday, calling out a list of exhibitions and materials mentioning race, slavery, transgender identity and immigration to bolster President Donald Trump’s ongoing criticism that the institution is too focused on divisive and negative aspects of American history.
In an official, unsigned article titled “President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian,” the White House called out seven museums for their exhibits and messaging — including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of American History, the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of the American Latino.
Representatives for each of the museums named in the article did not respond or directed a request for comment to the central Smithsonian administration, whose spokesperson declined to comment.
“As President Trump promised, the Trump Administration is committed to rooting out Woke and divisive ideology in our government and institutions,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in an email. “Taxpayer money should not be used for things that pit Americans against one another. Our Smithsonian should exhibit history in an accurate, honest, and factual way.”
Among the targets of the White House’s list were two museums that have not yet broken ground on buildings — the National Museum of the American Latino and American Women’s History Museum — and works by individual artists.
“In a way I’m kind of honored to be included in this list of important exhibitions and art projects that shed light on many viewpoints and diverse realities that are part of American History,” said artist Hugo Crosthwaite in an email to The Post. Crosthwaite created a portrait, named by the White House, of former National Institutes of Health official Anthony S. Fauci, who “has made a significant impact on the wellness of this country,” he said.
Artist Rigoberto A. González, who had been spending the day painting when a friend texted him the link to the White House website, had similar sentiments about his work being scrutinized: “You know the saying that there’s only good publicity? I’m thinking that maybe somebody will want to buy a painting.”
At the same time, said González, “it reminded me right away of, when you read in our history, about ‘degenerate art’ that the Nazis targeted. I was like, ‘There it is: another sign of where they want to take the country.’”
González submitted a painting of a family crossing a southern U.S. border wall for the Smithsonian’s Outwin Boochever portrait competition. Though the White House website says the Portrait Gallery “features” his painting, which he based on his research at migrant respite centers in South Texas, he noted that it is not on display at the Smithsonian but is held in a private collection.
“It’s not promoting immigration,” he added. “It’s the reality of immigration — and the fact that when immigrants come here, they don’t always find this American Dream that they’re supposedly chasing.”
The White House’s list comes two days after Trump said he would send his attorneys through the museums, adding that the Smithsonian focused too much on “how bad Slavery was.”
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Lindsey Halligan, the White House official charged with examining the Smithsonian, said she had walked through museums and reviewed information on slavery herself.
“The fact that … our country was involved in slavery is awful — no one thinks otherwise,” Halligan said. “But what I saw when I was going through the museums, personally, was an overemphasis on slavery, and I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we’ve come since slavery.”
Scholars this week challenged Trump’s framing of the Smithsonian’s work and decried his criticism as an effort to control history.
Samuel Redman, director of the public history program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and author of “The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience,” told The Post on Wednesday that the president “doesn’t have the requisite legal or political authority to enact these changes unilaterally.”
He noted the Smithsonian has many forward-looking exhibits on subjects including American innovation, and added that because of its deliberate planning, the institution is not generally seen as “this cutting-edge space.”
Beth English, executive director of the Organization of American Historians, called Trump’s comments “executive overreach masquerading as patriotic renewal.”
Some repeat targets were mentioned in Thursday’s list. The White House again singled out “The Shape of Power,” a Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibition that explores how sculpture “has shaped and reflected” concepts of race in the U.S., and how it “has been a powerful tool in promoting scientific racism.” The show was mentioned in Trump’s executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
As part of the president’s effort to oust Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet, the White House issued a list of 17 examples of the museum’s alleged partisanship. The commissioning of choreographer-in-residence Dana Tai Soon Burgess’s performance “El Muro” (The Wall) appeared on both that list and the new release. Burgess did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The White House announced a more aggressive review of Smithsonian materials last week. The institution is conducting its own internal review.
Other exhibitions and artifacts seem to have newly caught the White House’s attention. One of the listed exhibitions is a temporary, ground-floor show in the American History museum about the history of Title IX and women in sports. The White House took issue with its references to transgender athletes.
Trump purge of Smithsonian exhibits got underway in April and included removal of Harriet Tubman’s hymn book: report
Ariana Baio
Wed, August 20, 2025
THE INDEPENDENT
The Trump administration announced this week that it would begin reviewing current and former exhibitions at Smithsonian museums to ensure they align with president’s agenda and perspective of history – a task which had already been underway and will likely expand purges of historical artifacts.
For months, the museum has been reviewing, and at times quietly removing, certain artifacts on display to comply with Trump’s March executive order, aiming to “restore truth and sanity to American history” by getting rid of “divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”
The president has indicated some of those “divisive narratives” include acknowledgment of transgender athletes and in-depth analysis of slavery.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “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. We are not going to allow this to happen.”
Having anticipated the administration would begin reviewing its museums, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is a Smithsonian Institution, appeared to begin changing its displays.
In April, the National Museum of African American History and Culture sparked controversy after it announced it would return several artifacts to their donors, including a Bible carried during a civil rights protest and Harriet Tubman’s book of hymns, NBC News reported.
President Donald Trump, pictured at a Smithsonian museum 2017, has ordered his administration to review the museums’ exhibitions (Getty Images)
But the museum defended its decision-making, saying it was made independent of the White House, officials told news outlets. A spokesperson for the museum said at the time that they routinely return artifacts based on loan agreements or to rotate displays.
The Independent has asked the National Museum of African American History and Culture for comment.
However, Trump has publicly pulled federal funding from institutions that do not align with his policies and indicated he’s not afraid to continue doing so to incentivize people to follow his orders.
Prominent universities such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins have seen millions of dollars in funding revoked for not aligning with the president’s agenda. In his Tuesday Truth Social post, Trump said he has instructed his attorneys to adopt a similar “process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.”
“This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,” he added.
National Museum of African American History and Culture is one of eight Smithsonian museums under review by the administration. (Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Much of his ire toward institutions stems from his disdain for diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which he has prohibited across the federal government.
As part of the administration’s efforts to comply with the president’s agenda, federal references to historically prominent Black Americans have been minimized, and references to white Americans, regardless of controversy, have been restored.
Trump has sought to restore Confederate names and monuments after many were taken down or destroyed during or in response to racial justice protests in 2020. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a series of military bases would be renamed after controversial Confederate soldiers or generals during the Civil War.
Even on government websites, inclusive language or references to certain American heroes have been scrubbed. Earlier this year, the National Park Service faced pushback for removing mentions of Tubman and the Underground Railroad on its website. Park Service leaders said the changes were unauthorized and subsequently restored mentions to Tubman.
While the administration said this week it would review eight Smithsonian museums, all eyes are on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is dedicated to highlighting and educating the public about African-American history and culture, and likely to be targeted.
Ariana Baio
Wed, August 20, 2025
THE INDEPENDENT
The Trump administration announced this week that it would begin reviewing current and former exhibitions at Smithsonian museums to ensure they align with president’s agenda and perspective of history – a task which had already been underway and will likely expand purges of historical artifacts.
For months, the museum has been reviewing, and at times quietly removing, certain artifacts on display to comply with Trump’s March executive order, aiming to “restore truth and sanity to American history” by getting rid of “divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”
The president has indicated some of those “divisive narratives” include acknowledgment of transgender athletes and in-depth analysis of slavery.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “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. We are not going to allow this to happen.”
Having anticipated the administration would begin reviewing its museums, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is a Smithsonian Institution, appeared to begin changing its displays.
In April, the National Museum of African American History and Culture sparked controversy after it announced it would return several artifacts to their donors, including a Bible carried during a civil rights protest and Harriet Tubman’s book of hymns, NBC News reported.
President Donald Trump, pictured at a Smithsonian museum 2017, has ordered his administration to review the museums’ exhibitions (Getty Images)
But the museum defended its decision-making, saying it was made independent of the White House, officials told news outlets. A spokesperson for the museum said at the time that they routinely return artifacts based on loan agreements or to rotate displays.
The Independent has asked the National Museum of African American History and Culture for comment.
However, Trump has publicly pulled federal funding from institutions that do not align with his policies and indicated he’s not afraid to continue doing so to incentivize people to follow his orders.
Prominent universities such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins have seen millions of dollars in funding revoked for not aligning with the president’s agenda. In his Tuesday Truth Social post, Trump said he has instructed his attorneys to adopt a similar “process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.”
“This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,” he added.
National Museum of African American History and Culture is one of eight Smithsonian museums under review by the administration. (Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Much of his ire toward institutions stems from his disdain for diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which he has prohibited across the federal government.
As part of the administration’s efforts to comply with the president’s agenda, federal references to historically prominent Black Americans have been minimized, and references to white Americans, regardless of controversy, have been restored.
Trump has sought to restore Confederate names and monuments after many were taken down or destroyed during or in response to racial justice protests in 2020. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a series of military bases would be renamed after controversial Confederate soldiers or generals during the Civil War.
Even on government websites, inclusive language or references to certain American heroes have been scrubbed. Earlier this year, the National Park Service faced pushback for removing mentions of Tubman and the Underground Railroad on its website. Park Service leaders said the changes were unauthorized and subsequently restored mentions to Tubman.
While the administration said this week it would review eight Smithsonian museums, all eyes are on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is dedicated to highlighting and educating the public about African-American history and culture, and likely to be targeted.
