Trump Scores Another Direct Hit Against 'Woke History' As Smithsonian Chief Calls It Quits

RedState has reported extensively on the Trump administration's all-out war on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) as part of its ongoing efforts to reverse the damage the radical left and its obsession with wokeism have inflicted on American institutions.

Among others, actual historians called the NMAH out, and black conservatives called them out after the White House’s Domestic Policy Council issued a detailed, 162-page PDF report on July 4th documenting the wokeification of the museum.  The report accused the Smithsonian of "anti-white," "illegal alien," and "transgender activism." It concluded that there has been "ideological capture at the museum," something GOP Rep. Brandon Gill (TX-26) helped further expose with precision during a July hearing on the topic, as we also reported.

On Tuesday, we learned that the top chief at the NMAH, Lonnie G. Bunch III, announced he'd be retiring at the end of the year after serving in the role for seven years. He laughably claimed it had nothing to do with the current battle between the museum and the Trump administration:

Bunch, the 73-year-old historian who founded the National Museum of African American History and Culture and then became the Smithsonian’s first Black leader, publicly announced Tuesday that he is stepping down after more than seven years in the institution’s top job.

[...]

Bunch said in an interview with The Washington Post on Monday that the administration’s pressure played no role in his decision and that he was still ready to do battle to protect the Smithsonian’s autonomy.

“We’re at a time when people are challenging that independence,” he said, “but I feel very strongly that it is as independent as we were before, and that I will continue to fight — for as long as I’m in this chair — for the independence of the Smithsonian.”

“I have to be honest, it has been stressful,” he said. “And at a certain point, I’d like to wake up in the morning and not look at my cellphone.” https://t.co/nBXmeGGDB5

— Nolan D. McCaskill (@NolanDMcCaskill) September 8, 2026

A new Secretary for the Smithsonian will need to be appointed, and while President Donald Trump doesn't have the authority to do that, Vice President J.D. Vance sits on the governing body that does:

But the president does not choose the Smithsonian secretary. That power belongs to its governing body, the Board of Regents, which is made up of high-level government officials, members of Congress and citizens appointed by Congress. As vice president, JD Vance sits on that 17-member board, which currently includes two vacant seats.

As RedState also reported, the fight against the Smithsonian stems from actions President Trump took in the first year of his second term in office.

In March 2025, he signed an Executive Order on "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," in which 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.”

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 its 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

Bunch's departure is only going to fuel the administration's appetite for putting even more pressure on these people to reverse course or step down. More, please.

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