Trump consults with Smithsonian's head following contentious discussions over potential review
In a recent development, President Donald Trump had a cordial and productive lunch with Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The meeting primarily focused on the Smithsonian's initiatives and national history preservation.
However, the meeting comes amidst ongoing controversy over some exhibits at the Smithsonian's museums. Earlier this year, the White House issued an executive order claiming that the Smithsonian had "come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology."
One of the exhibits at the centre of this controversy is a planned survey at the National Portrait Gallery, spearheaded by artist Amy Sherald. The exhibition, which was set to feature a painting of refugees along the US-Mexico border, a portrait of Anthony Fauci, and a Black trans woman posing as the Statue of Liberty, was reportedly pulled after the museum allegedly asked Sherald to remove a specific piece from the exhibition.
Trump has been vocal about his disapproval, calling on his lawyers to conduct a review of the Smithsonian's displays. In response to the exhibition, he is said to have remarked, "they love me in the Netherlands." However, it's worth noting that in his 2019 memoir, A Fool's Errand, Bunch described Trump's response to an exhibition about the role of the Dutch in the trade of enslaved people as "disappointing."
The Smithsonian's relationship with the White House has been strained in the past. Previously, the White House had been antagonistic towards Bunch, with the White House's communications director denouncing him as a "Democrat donor and rabid partisan" in April. Bunch, in turn, has denounced some of Trump's behaviour in his book.
It isn't clear what legal authority Trump would have over the Smithsonian's displays, as he isn't on the Smithsonian's board. Last week, the White House released a list of artworks at the Smithsonian's museums that appeared to denounce certain pieces.
In a striking turn of events, a Smithsonian representative did not respond to the meeting, and Trump's meeting with Bunch suggests communication between the Trump administration and the Smithsonian Institution. The aftermath of this meeting and its impact on the Smithsonian's exhibits remains to be seen.
Trump has also expressed his disapproval of the Smithsonian on his social media platform, Truth Social, describing it as being "OUT OF CONTROL." The Smithsonian, a prestigious and influential institution, continues to navigate these contentious issues, upholding its mission to preserve and share American history and culture.
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