The Smithsonian Institution on Saturday denied it was pressured by the Trump administration to remove a section of the National Museum of American History’s impeachment exhibit mentioning the two attempts to remove President Donald Trump from office.
The statement follows recent reports revealing the Smithsonian made the change last month after undergoing an internal review for partisan bias. The move suggested the federal government was behind the decision to remove the Trump impeachment section.
The museum network said that wasn’t the case, clarifying it did so for its own reasons.
“The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a twenty-five year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation. It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case,” the Smithsonian said in a statement.
“For these reasons, we removed the placard,” it added. “We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit.”
The Smithsonian previously said it restored the impeachment display to an earlier version from 2008, noting “only three presidents have seriously faced removal,” referring to former Presidents Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, and Andrew Johnson. The research institute added the content about Trump’s impeachment, instituted in September 2021, was only intended to be a “short-term measure” to address “current events” at the time.
It reiterated the exhibit “will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.” It is not yet clear when in the next few weeks the update will be arriving.
Trump faced two impeachment attempts during his first term in 2019 and 2021, but those efforts in the House ultimately led nowhere after the Senate voted to acquit the president both times.
Since returning to office this year, Trump signed an executive order vowing to eliminate “revisionist” ideology from the Smithsonian, which receives about $1 billion in federal funding annually appropriated by Congress. The order tasked Vice President JD Vance, who is on the Smithsonian Board of Regents, with “seeking to remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian and its affiliates.
Reports of the Smithsonian’s move prompted backlash from Democrats, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who called for Trump’s impeachment as a House lawmaker at the time.
In response to initial reporting, the Smithsonian said its updated impeachment exhibit “will include all impeachments.”
“In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the ‘Limits of Presidential Power’ section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed,” a Smithsonian spokesperson said. “The section of this exhibition covers Congress, The Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion. Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the Impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance.”
“A large permanent gallery like The American Presidency that opened in 2000, requires a significant amount of time and funding to update and renew,” the spokesperson added. “A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.”
The Trump administration praised the Smithsonian’s move on Friday, taking aim at its exhibits focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
SMITHSONIAN REMOVES MENTION OF TRUMP IN IMPEACHMENT EXHIBIT AFTER REVIEW OF BIAS CONTENT
“Unfortunately, for far too long, the Smithsonian museums have highlighted divisive, DEI exhibits which are out of touch with mainstream America,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle previously told the Washington Examiner. “We are fully supportive of updating displays to highlight American greatness. The Trump administration will continue working to ensure that the Smithsonian removes all improper ideology and once again unites and instills pride in all Americans regarding our great history.”
The White House has not responded to the Smithsonian’s latest statement over the weekend.