
The Smithsonian Institution has denied political influence in its decision to remove a display about President Donald Trump’s impeachments from the National Museum of American History.
The institution stated Saturday that it removed the “temporary” placard for failing to meet museum standards regarding “appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation.” Officials explained the display was inconsistent with other exhibit sections and obstructed views of objects within its case.
“We were not asked by any Administration or other government officials to remove content from the exhibit,” the Smithsonian said in a statement.
The institution, which operates 21 museums and the National Zoo, announced plans to update the impeachment section in coming weeks to “reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.”
The Washington Post reported Thursday that the museum removed explicit references to Trump’s impeachments last month, leaving the exhibit incorrectly stating that “only three presidents have seriously faced removal.” According to an unnamed source familiar with exhibit plans, the display was removed following a “content review that the Smithsonian agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director.”
The removal prompted immediate criticism, with Trump opponents characterizing it as another concession to presidential pressure. Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded Friday, saying, “You can run, but you cannot hide from the judgment of history. So, here’s my message to the president: no matter what exhibits you try to distort, the American people will never forget that you were impeached โ not once, but twice.”
Trump has rapidly moved to increase control over political, cultural and media institutions as part of his “Make America Great Again” agenda. In March, he signed an executive order directing removal of “improper ideology” from Smithsonian properties and denying funding for exhibits that “degrade shared American values” or “divide Americans based on race.”
During his first presidential term, Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives in 2019 and 2021, though the Senate acquitted him both times. He became the third president to face impeachment after Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, and remains the only president impeached twice. Former President Richard Nixon faced near-certain impeachment before resigning in 1974 during the Watergate scandal.
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