On Tuesday, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) held a hearing on "Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past," which followed a detailed 162-page PDF report issued by the White House Domestic Policy Council on July 4th that documented the wokeification of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) on an epic scale.
During the hearing, Republican Rep. Brandon Gill (TX-26) grilled Dr. Anthea Hartig, the director of the museum, on issues including a "Mass Action Tool Kit" that had been promoted by the museum under her leadership. As my RedState colleague Bob Hoge might say, it wasn't even a fair fight, as Hartig froze at various points during the questioning, feigned ignorance at other points, and seemed more keen on writing down notes on a notepad instead of directly answering Gill's questions.
DIVE DEEPER: Smithsonian Museum of History Has Become 'Prime Tool of Social Justice' at Taxpayer Expense
Here's the highlight reel:
I asked the Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History why her organization promoted a "MASS Action Toolkit" that claimed "objectivity" is an aspect of "white supremacy culture." pic.twitter.com/XXKZED5ivy
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
The Smithsonian's "MASS Action Toolkit" said that politeness is a "defining aspect of white supremacy culture."
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
I asked the Director of the National Museum of American History if that means she's a white supremacist. pic.twitter.com/VUrIeUEZWt
The Smithsonian promoted an exhibit that claimed Mickey Mouse was racist.
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
I asked the Director of the National American History Museum why... pic.twitter.com/oY7Z9l4b7D
I asked the Director of the National Museum of American History if it was appropriate for the Smithsonian Institution to sell "Latina power" merchandise. pic.twitter.com/BjZg5xmIfS
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) July 21, 2026
Here are four key findings from the report the Domestic Policy Council released:
- NMAH Fails to Substantively Present America’s Founders and Founding
- NMAH Has “Problematized” the 250th Anniversary of America’s Founding
- NMAH Removed “American History” from Its Mission Statement to “Get Out of the ‘America First’ Mentality”
- NMAH Has Abandoned Historical Scholarship for Political Activism
They also accused the Smithsonian of “anti-white,” “illegal alien,” and “transgender activism,” and concluded there has been “ideological capture at the museum,” something Gill further exposed at the hearing.
From the report:
The serious concerns raised in this report are not about a few exhibits or a few controversial labels. They concern whether America’s premier history museum still presents America as a coherent nation and heritage worth teaching with gratitude and honesty. The Museum can broaden the story without dissolving the story. It can and should acknowledge slavery, injustice, mistreatment of Native peoples, and other grave wrongs without encouraging citizens to view their country mainly through suspicion, resentment, and division. But that is not what the National Museum of American History is doing. As it stands today, it would benefit most Americans, especially parents bringing their children for a tour, if the Smithsonian’s flagship history museum had a label at every entrance that reads: “Warning: the exhibits in this museum were prepared by people who don’t want you to love your country.”
The findings of this report matter beyond the museum world. Not all Americans follow academic theories or curatorial fashions, but they do understand when a revered public institution has traded settled truths and basic history for political activism and division. They do notice when the heroes, principles, and events that formed the country are pushed to the margins. They notice when their children are introduced to inappropriate sexual and ideological content under the guise of civic education. And they object when their children and grandchildren are being indoctrinated to regard their country primarily as a source of oppression and unresolved grievance.
The Rapid Response X account posted a thread full of examples, including images, of what the Council found here.
All of this stems from actions President Donald Trump took in the first year of his second term in office.
In March 2025, Trump signed an Executive Order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” where it was noted that “museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history.”
In the section on “Saving Our Smithsonian,” here is what was put in place:
The Vice President, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff Secretary, Lindsey Halligan, Esq., shall work to effectuate the policies of this order through his role on the Smithsonian Board of Regents with respect to the Smithsonian Institution and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo, including by seeking to remove improper ideology from such properties, and shall recommend to the President any additional actions necessary to fully effectuate such policies.
A few months later, Trump ordered a comprehensive review of all Smithsonian museums ahead of America 250 festivities.
After the report was released, there was much fretting about what else was to come from the Trump administration regarding their efforts to root out anti-Americanism in American institutions:
Current and former members of the Smithsonian Board of Regents tell NBC News they are anticipating this is not the end of the White House pressure campaign to reshape the museum’s presentations, which has been a focus in Trump’s second term. https://t.co/2vS9aCJWxk
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 9, 2026
I can't wait.
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