Smithsonian removes reference to Trump impeachment from exhibit

NEW YORK (AP) — The Smithsonian Institution has removed a reference to President Donald Trump's two impeachment trials from an exhibit, a move that comes as the White House pushes to offer a more positive and selective view of American history. A spokesperson said the exhibit will eventually "include all impeachments."

In 2021, a label referencing impeachment was added to the National Museum of American History's exhibit on the U.S. presidency, in a section titled "Limits of Presidential Power." Smithsonian spokesman Phillip Zimmerman said Friday that the section, which includes materials on the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and the Watergate scandal that contributed to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, needed review. Zimmerman explained that the decision was made after the museum recently reviewed its historical content.

“Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the impeachment case to its 2008 appearance,” Zimmerman said in an email.

He said that in September 2021, the museum installed a temporary label on content related to the Trump impeachment proceedings. "It was intended as a short-term measure to address the current situation," he explained. However, the label remained in place.

“A large permanent gallery like the American Presidential Gallery, which opened in 2000, requires a considerable amount of time and funding to update and refurbish,” he said. “A future updated exhibition will include all the impeachment trials.”

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the Smithsonian has "featured divisive exhibits on DEI that are out of touch with mainstream America" for too long.

"We fully support updating the exhibits to highlight American greatness," he said in a statement that did not address the missing reference to Trump's impeachment proceedings.

The impeachment proceedings against Trump were more recent

Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice: in 2019 for pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, who would go on to defeat Trump in the 2020 election; and in 2021 for “incitement of insurrection,” a reference to the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters attempting to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.

The Democratic majority in the House of Representatives voted for impeachment each time. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump each time. Shortly after Trump's first impeachment trial, the history museum issued a statement stating that curators "will determine which objects best represent these historical events for inclusion in the national collection."

Since returning to office in January, Trump has cut funding, ousted officials, and demanded changes at a variety of Washington cultural institutions, including the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The current administration has put the focus on interpretations of history

In March, Trump issued an executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," in which he alleged that the Smithsonian was subject to "a divisive and racially oriented ideology." He tasked Vice President J.D. Vance with ensuring that no funds go to "exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans along racial lines, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with federal law and policy."

Congressional Democrats issued a statement in April calling Trump's order a "blatant attempt to erase Black history."

Last week, artist Amy Sherald canceled a planned exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery after officials raised concerns about her painting "Trans Forming Liberty, 2024," which depicts a nonbinary transgender person impersonating the Statue of Liberty. Sherald is known for her painting of then-first lady Michelle Obama, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery.

Founded in the 19th century, the Smithsonian Institution oversees a network of cultural centers that includes the Portrait Gallery, the History Museum, the National Zoo, and the Smithsonian Institution Gardens. The Washington Post was the first to report on the removal of the impeachment label against Trump.