Bunch tells staff White House Smithsonian report is not fair

Report faults museum for anti-white bias, criticizes director

The White House Domestic Policy Council released the report on Independence Day under the title “Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.” The document accuses the museum of becoming “subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.”

The report faults the museum on multiple fronts, saying it underemphasized the Founding Fathers and early colonial and Revolutionary history; was not sufficiently celebratory of the nation’s 250th anniversary; and that it engaged in “anti-white,” “illegal alien” and transgender activism. It also accuses the museum of trying to “indoctrinate” teachers and students through its exhibitions, programming and teaching resources.

In an email to staff obtained by NPR, Bunch wrote that the report “is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.” He added, “At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story.”

The report singled out museum director Anthea Hartig, who has led the National Museum of American History since 2019 and is concurrently president of the Organization of American Historians. It called her “an activist advancing an ideological agenda contradictory to the museum’s founding purpose of fostering patriotism.”

Bunch said the institution remains committed to “scholarship, nonpartisanship, independence, accuracy and integrity.” He wrote that the Smithsonian has “worked alongside partners across government — from the White House to Congress to our governing Board of Regents — guided by our enduring mission to increase and diffuse knowledge.”

The Trump administration has made the Smithsonian a primary target in its push to reshape cultural narratives. President Trump issued an executive order in March 2025 calling for the removal of “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian’s offerings. In August 2025, the White House requested a “comprehensive internal review” of eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of American History.

The Smithsonian’s charter states that all of its 21 museums, 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo are meant to be run independently of the federal government. The institution is overseen by Bunch and a board of regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, and other members appointed by Congress.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Bunch discussed the Smithsonian’s 250th anniversary special exhibition called “American Aspirations” at the Smithsonian Castle. He said, “It’s really important for people to understand that America is much an ideal as it is a place, that it’s a series of aspirations that have really shaped who this country is. And so for me, what is so powerful is to say, ‘Let us honor the words of Thomas Jefferson and the founders, but let us use those to challenge us to be better.’”