Smithsonian’s removal of Trump from impeachment exhibit draws fire
The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History removed an exhibit this month referencing President Trump’s two impeachments, according to the institution’s spokesperson — drawing fire from Democratic Party lawmakers.
The decision, part of an internal content review the museum agreed to participate in, came after facing pressure from the Trump administration to ax its art museum director, according to The Washington Post, citing an unnamed source who was briefed on the matter.
“A large permanent gallery like The American Presidency that opened in 2000, requires significant amount of time and funding to update and renew,” a Smithsonian spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Hill. “A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.”
The change ignited criticism from some Democrats, who argued that Trump wants the public to “forget” about the impeachments.
“Trump can pretend it didn’t happen all he wants, but the facts don’t lie — he was impeached twice. I know. I was there,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) said in a Thursday night post on social platform X.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), another frequent critic of the president, shared front-page stories of The New York Times print edition of House impeaching the commander-in-chief twice, writing on X: “this is what Donald Trump wants you to forget. America never will.”
In late March, Trump penned an executive order directing the removal of “divisive narratives” from the Smithsonian Institution that do not align with the White House’s vision to “remind’ Americans “of our extraordinary heritage.”
“In September 2021, the museum installed a temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump,” the Smithsonian spokesperson told The Hill. “It was intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025.”
The exhibit at the museum now states that “only three presidents have seriously faced removal,” the Post reported, citing a photograph of the temporary sign.
“In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the ‘Limits of Presidential Power’ section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed,” the spokesperson added.
“The section of this exhibition covers Congress, The Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion,” they continued. “Because the other topics in this section had not been updated since 2008, the decision was made to restore the Impeachment case back to its 2008 appearance.”
Trump was impeached twice by the House during his first term — the first one over a phone call when he reportedly asked Ukraine to probe then-former Vice President Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and the other over his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The Senate acquitted Trump both times.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) office also jabbed at Trump Thursday night on X, claiming the president is “censoring the Smithsonian like it’s the Epstein List. History gets erased when it implicates him.”
The director of the National Potrait Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian, Kim Sajet, resigned from her post in mid-June after facing pressure from Trump, who accused her of being “highly partisan” and a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.