TRUMP'S WAR ON THE ARTS (from ArtNet)SOURCEThe following is only an excerpt of recent bulletins from ArtNet about the Trump administration's increasing repression of the arts which give the August 11, 2015 New Yorker cover, "Trans Forming Liberty" (detail above), additional significance.Since returning to the White House on January 20, President Donald Trump has signed more than 140 executive orders—26 on day one alone—many of which have sent shockwaves through the art world. From sweeping restrictions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to deep cuts at key federal agencies, the effects are already reshaping how cultural institutions and artists operate. At the center of this upheaval is the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, which has gutted agencies like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and imposed aggressive oversight on institutions such as the Smithsonian.
Meanwhile, abrupt policy shifts are rippling through logistics and trade, prompting shifting how art dealers, auction houses, and other art market actors both in the U.S. and abroad to rethink their business strategies.
These moves aren’t just symbolic—they’re transforming the infrastructure of American culture. Experts say we are entering uncharted territory. “There is no precedent for the moment we are in,” said Marilyn Jackson, president of the American Alliance of Museums.
As Trump’s second term unfolds, we’re tracking the policies, flashpoints, and protests that are reshaping the arts landscape. Here’s what you need to know so far.
For an overview of Trump’s first 100 days in office, click here. August
August 21: Amy Sherald’s ‘Trans Forming Liberty’ and Fauci Portrait Named in White House List of Offending ArtworksThe White House continued targeting the Smithsonian Institution on Thursday, August 21, publishing a letter on its website titled “President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian.” The epistle simply listed a range of artworks and exhibitions across the federal museum network that display images and wording that the Trump administration disagrees with. It included previously criticized shows, such as a Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibition about sculptures as signifiers of power and displays at the National Museum of African American History and Culture referencing “white dominant culture.”
Also named were specific artworks, including Rigoberto A. González’s Refugees Crossing the Border Wall into South Texas (2022) and Amy Sherald’s painting of a Black trans woman as the Statue of Liberty—which was never actually shown at the National Portrait Gallery since the artist canceled her traveling survey after museum staff allegedly advised her not to include the work. The National Portrait Gallery was further criticized for commissioning a stop-motion portrait of Anthony Fauci.
Other targets included a papier-mâché Statue of Liberty holding a tomato, shown in the National Museum of American History, and a 2023 National Museum of African Art show focused on the fictional Afrofuturist kingdom of Drexciya. Wall texts from the National Museum of the American Latino and LGBTQ+ content at the National Museum of American History were also condemned.
It marked the second time that week the Trump administration publicly attacked the Smithsonian and museum programming on the whole. On Monday, the president posted on Truth Social stating museums are the “last remaining segment of WOKE.” Earlier in August, the White House issued a statement ordering several Smithsonian institutions to comply with a comprehensive review of their exhibitions and programming ahead of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary to ensure alignment with President Trump’s vision of American history. —M.C.
Read More: ‘Nobody’s Coming to Save Us’: How U.S. Museums Are Battling for Their Future Under Trump
Read More: Amy Sherald Pulls Smithsonian Show Over Censorship Concerns
August 19: Trump Extends ‘Woke’ Criticism to Museums Beyond the SmithsonianPresident Donald Trump has escalated his criticism of the Smithsonian Institution, expanding it to include museums nationwide, which he described as the “last remaining segment of WOKE.” The statement, shared on his social media platform Truth Social, follows a statement from the White House last week confirming plans to audit eight Smithsonian museums to ensure alignment with the president’s March executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” The audit requires exhibition reviews, program planning oversight, and potential content adjustments.
Trump accused the Smithsonian of presenting only negative narratives of U.S. history, focusing on slavery and oppression, and how “unaccomplished the downtrodden have been” while ignoring America’s “success” and “brightness.” He vowed to apply the same strategies his administration has used to attack universities—targeting research funding and tax-exempt status, among other tactics—to museums across the country.
“This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,” the president wrote. We have the “HOTTEST Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums.”
The crackdown on Smithsonian museum programming has sparked backlash from professional associations, including the American Alliance of Museums, which said “this is not just a concern for select institutions” in an August 15 statement. “These pressures can create a chilling effect across the entire museum sector. Freedom of thought and expression are foundational American values, and museums uphold them by creating spaces where people can engage with history, science, art, and culture in ways that are honest, fact-based, and thought-provoking.” —M.C.
August 12: Smithsonian Museums Face Large-Scale White House Review Ahead of America’s 250th AnniversaryThe White House will conduct a comprehensive review of Smithsonian exhibitions, materials, and operations ahead of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary to ensure alignment with President Trump’s vision of American history. In a letter to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch, senior officials outlined plans to assess public text, online content, curatorial processes, collection use, and artist grants, aiming to emphasize “unity, progress, and enduring values” and remove “divisive or partisan narratives.”
“By focusing on Americanism—the people, principles, and progress that define our nation—we can work together to renew the Smithsonian’s role as the world’s leading museum institution,” reads the letter, which was signed by Lindsey Halligan, special assistant to the president and senior associate staff secretary; Vince Haley, director of the Domestic Policy Council; and Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Gothic-style Smithsonian Castle at sunset, with central tower, American flag, and trees lining the foreground.
The Smithsonian Castle. Photo: Shutterstock.
The White House letter instructs each Smithsonian museum to, within 30 days, submit requested exhibition materials and plans, designate a staff liaison, coordinate with curators on America 250 programming, and prepare for on-site visits to review current displays, themes, and visitor experience. Within 120 days, museums must start revising exhibits to replace divisive or ideologically driven language with “unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions” across all public-facing materials.
Initially, the review will focus on the National Portrait Gallery, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of the American Indian, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, and the National Air and Space Museum. These institutions are all located in Washington, D.C., where Trump just instituted a federal takeover, deploying the National Guard and taking control of the city’s police department amid claims of widespread crime. Additional museums and institutions will be examined in phase two of the review, according to the letter.
The Smithsonian is comprised of 21 museums, 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo. The review reflects the Trump Administration’s broader efforts to reframe cultural institutions and follows the National Museum of American History’s change to its descriptions of Trump’s two impeachments in exhibition texts earlier this month. White House representative Halligan said that the goal of the review is to keep museums “accurate, patriotic, and enlightening.” In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, the Smithsonian affirmed its commitment to scholarly rigor and factual accuracy, and said it is reviewing the letter in consultation with its Board of Regents, which includes Vice President J.D. Vance. —M.C.
Read More: Can Trump Really Control the Smithsonian? Here’s What We Know
August 8: Smithsonian Softens Description of Trump’s Impeachments at American History Museum
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has updated its exhibit text on President Donald Trump’s impeachments, altering language in descriptions of both proceedings. For the second impeachment, in 2021, the text now states he was impeached for “incitement of insurrection based on his challenge of the 2020 election results and on his speech on January 6,” and notes he was acquitted after leaving office. Previously, it said he had “repeated ‘false statements’” that “foreseeably resulted in” violence. The description of his 2019 impeachment now cites “alleged” solicitation of foreign interference, according to the New York Times.
The new text replaces a 2021 temporary label that included details about the impeachments of Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon, as well as Trump. The update also marks a shift in how the institution presents politically sensitive topics, amid heightened scrutiny over potential political influence on Smithsonian programming.—M.C.
August 4: Smithsonian to Revise Exhibit After Quietly Removing Trump Impeachment Placard
The Smithsonian Institution says it will “update” a display from the National Museum of American History following reports that a placard added to the display in 2021, which had mentioned president Donald Trump’s two prior impeachments alongside those of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, was removed. The removal returned the display to its 2008 iteration, which noted “only three presidents have seriously faced removal.”
The Smithsonian wrote in an official statement posted to X that no Administration or government official had asked it to remove content from the display, but that it had removed the placard because it “did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation,” and it “blocked the view of the objects inside the case.” The institution stated that the presentation “will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.” —M.C.
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