Lonnie Bunch III is stepping down from his role as the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution before the end of 2026, he announced Tuesday.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION THREATENS TO CUT FEDERAL SUPPORT TO SMITHSONIAN OVER ‘IDEOLOGICAL ACTIVISM’
Bunch, 73, is the first black leader of the museum and education institution based in Washington and began his role in June 2019. He has sparred with President Donald Trump’s second administration throughout the past two years of his tenure, as Trump has aimed to root out “divisive, race-centered ideology” displays at the institution’s museums.
Bunch said he decided to retire while on an August vacation and that the decision had “nothing” to do with the Trump administration, according to the Wall Street Journal.