WASHINGTON: The recent removal of a placard at the National Museum of American History that detailed Donald Trump’s two impeachments did not come after White House pressure, the museum’s parent organization said on Saturday (Aug 2).
The placard was meant to be temporary and “did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation”, the Smithsonian Institution said in a statement on X.
“It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard.
“We were not asked by any administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit.”
The Smithsonian statement came after The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the museum last month removed the placard describing Trump’s impeachments and reverted to old signage that said “only three presidents have seriously faced removal” – Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.
The Post said the removal stemmed from a Smithsonian content review after the White House pressured the organisation to remove a director of one of its art museums.
Trump is the only American president to have been impeached twice – first in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, then in 2021 for inciting an insurrection. He was acquitted by the Senate both times.
Since starting his second term in January, the Republican has moved to control major cultural institutions, while slashing arts and humanities funding.
In March, Trump signed an executive order to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness” and “remove improper ideology”.
The order accused the institution of having “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and argued the shift has promoted narratives that portray American values as “inherently harmful and oppressive”.
The impeachment exhibit “will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history”, the Smithsonian said in its statement.
