Smithsonian removes Trump impeachment text as it swaps his portrait; The Washington Post, January 10, 2026

Samantha Chery

, 

Janay Kingsberry

 and 

Kelsey Ables

, The Washington Post; Smithsonian removes Trump impeachment text as it swaps his portrait

[Kip Currier: Trump 2.0's efforts to censor, distort, and propagandize history, as these Smithsonian instances illustrate, are appalling; but they're nothing the world hasn't experienced before from other despotic rulers throughout history who have striven to falsify and hide their conduct and crimes. 

The good news is that people like these reporters are documenting as many of these examples as possible and, at some future point, the historical record can be restored.

Moroever, as the article's comments frequently note, many, many people already know the truth about Trump's two impeachments, arraignments in four separate criminal cases, conviction for 34 felonies, etc. That knowledge can't be purged from the minds of the people who already know his character and actions.]

[Excerpt]

"The National Portrait Gallery removed a swath of text that mentioned President Donald Trump’s two impeachments and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection as it swapped out a prominent photo of him this week."

Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’; The Guardian, January 8, 2026

Charlotte Higgins , The Guardian; Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’

[Kip Currier: Informative reporting by The Guardian on Trump 2.0 efforts to whitewash and erase centuries of history and culture by imprinting one man's and one movement's views on the Smithsonian museums.

Share this with as many people as possible to raise awareness and promote advocacy for the historical integrity and unfiltered authenticity of museums within the Smithsonian Institution system.]

[Excerpt]

"Lonnie Bunch, in the meantime, is holding a delicate line. On 18 December, a new letter from the White House arrived for him. The Smithsonian had fallen short in providing the information requested on 12 August, it said. “We wish to be assured,” it continued, “that none of the leadership of the Smithsonian museums is confused about the fact that the United States has been among the greatest forces for good in the history of the world. The American people will have no patience for any museum that is diffident about America’s founding or otherwise uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history.” Then came the threat. “As you may know, funds apportioned for the Smithsonian Institution are only available for use in a manner consistent with Executive Order 14253, ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,’ and the fulfilment of the requests set forth in our August 12, 2025 letter.”

Bunch wrote a note to all his staff the following day, quietly affirming, once more, the organisation’s autonomy. “For nearly 180 years, the Smithsonian has served our country as an independent and nonpartisan institution committed to its mission – the increase and diffusion of knowledge – for all Americans. As we all know, all content, programming, and curatorial decisions are made by the Smithsonian.”

With JD Vance on the board of regents, along with Republican members of Congress, the question hovers: how long will 73-year-old Bunch survive in his position? “Lonnie knows his time is short,” one DC museum director told me. “It’s a question of how he decides to go, and of which hill he chooses to die on.”"

The Smithsonian Changes Its Description of Trump’s Role on Jan. 6; The New York Times, August 8, 2025

 Graham Bowley, The New York Times; The Smithsonian Changes Its Description of Trump’s Role on Jan. 6

"The Smithsonian put up new text on Friday that changed its description of President Trump’s impeachment following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol."

Smithsonian to restore Trump to impeachment exhibit ‘in the coming weeks’; The Washington Post, August 2, 2025

Jonathan Fischer

 and 

Samantha Chery

, The Washington Post; Smithsonian to restore Trump to impeachment exhibit ‘in the coming weeks’

"The placard mentioning Trump was removed from the exhibition, “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden,” after what the Smithsonian called a “review” of “legacy content.” A person familiar with the exhibit plans, who was not authorized to discuss them publicly, previously told The Post the placard was removed as part of a content review the Smithsonian undertook following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director."

Smithsonian to restore Trump to impeachment exhibit ‘in the coming weeks’; Associated Press via The Guardian, August 2, 2025

Associated Press via The Guardian, The Washington Post ; Smithsonian to restore Trump to impeachment exhibit ‘in the coming weeks’

"The Smithsonian will include Donald Trump’s two impeachments in an updated presentation “in the coming weeks” after references to them were removed, the museum said in a statement Saturday.

That statement from the Washington DC museum also denied that the Trump administration pressured the Smithsonian to remove the references to his impeachments during his first presidency...

Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice. In 2019, he was impeached for pushing Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, who would later defeat Trump in the 2020 presidential election. And in 2021, he was impeached for “incitement of insurrection,” a reference to the 6 January 2021 attack aimed at the US Capitol by Trump supporters attempting to halt congressional certification of Biden’s victory over him.

The Democratic majority in the House voted each time for impeachment. The Republican-led Senate each time acquitted Trump."