On this edition of Your Call’s Authoritarian Playbook Series, we discuss the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on the Smithsonian Institution.
Last month, the White House warned that federal agencies could cut ties with the institution if its leaders don’t give in to the administration’s demands for censorship, marking another escalation in their fight to rewrite American history.
Yesterday, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III announced plans to step down after nearly 40 years in various roles at the Smithsonian, including overseeing the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. When he was named Secretary in 2019, he became the first Black leader of the institution.
How are advocates and historians responding?
Guests:
Dr. Kim Sajet, Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, and former Director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery
Dr. Marc Stein, 2026-2027 President of the Organization of American Historians, and Professor of US History and Constitutional Law at San Francisco State University
Resources:
The New York Times: Smithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the Institution
Organization of American Historians: Statement on the retirement of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III
The Washington Post: Trump administration threatens to cut off agencies’ ties to Smithsonian
CNN: Trump administration says agencies may stop working with the Smithsonian
TIME: Trump’s Attacks on the Smithsonian Are an Attack on American History
The Atlantic: The White House Wants to Make the Smithsonian a Pariah
The New Yorker: The Fantasy Behind Trump’s Anti-Smithsonian Crusade
