Trump says museum is too focused on ‘those who have been oppressed’
President Trump on Friday night called on the Smithsonian Institution in a pair of Truth Social posts to install a 30-foot-tall statue of George Washington in front of the National Museum of American History and to “immediately design and display” a five-year exhibition about the country’s first president. “This is how we should begin to honor George Washington in the lead-up to his 300th birthday in 2032,” Trump wrote.
In the same posts, Trump criticized the museum’s current presentation, saying it is too focused “on those who have been oppressed” with “no attention paid to those who triumphed over great oppression.” “That is a History worth teaching, because it is America’s story,” he wrote.
The president laid out specific steps for installation. He said he wants an 11-foot statue of Washington, which was featured at last month’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix race, installed in the museum’s Flag Hall right away. Then, “as soon as it is ready,” Trump wrote, he wants a 30-foot “Washington Colossus” to replace Infinity, a stainless-steel sculpture by artist José de Rivera that has stood in front of the American History Museum since 1967.
“That strange modernist sculpture tells visitors nothing about America, inspires no one, and honors none of our Great American Heroes,” Trump wrote.
The requests come as the Trump administration has been seeking major cultural changes at the world’s largest museum and research complex. On July 4, the administration released a 162-page report denouncing the Smithsonian’s alleged “shift from history to activism.” Temporary signs posted outside museums on the National Mall warned visitors of “inaccurate information presented” inside.
Last week, Lonnie Bunch III, the Smithsonian’s top leader, said he was stepping down at the end of the year. The Smithsonian did not respond to a request for comment on Trump’s latest requests Saturday.
The White House does not directly control the Smithsonian. The institution is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents, which includes Vice President JD Vance and Chief Justice John Roberts. Last year, Trump signed an executive order directing Vance, through the board, to promote Trump’s vision for the institution and to work with Congress to cut funding to exhibits or programs that “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.”
It was not clear Saturday whether the Smithsonian would follow through with Trump’s plans. The Smithsonian declined to comment on the requests.
Trump has frequently invoked the nation’s Founding Fathers on social media. He has posted AI-created images showing himself riding a horse beside Washington, sitting next to Abraham Lincoln, and giving Washington a tour of what looks like the new White House ballroom Trump is designing.