The Smithsonian Institution has reinstated a museum display about President Donald Trump’s two impeachments — but with its language watered down.
Until late last month, the institution’s National Museum of American History described Trump’s second impeachment in 2021 for inciting insurrection as being sparked by “repeated ‘false statements’ challenging the 2020 election results” and a “speech that ‘encouraged and foreseeably resulted in'” the storming of the Capitol.
Those parts in quotation marks were directly taken from the Senate’s articles of impeachment, which accused Trump of “betraying his trust as president” by trying to overturn the election.
Now, according to reports, the sign simply says that the insurrection charge was “based on his challenge of the 2020 election results and on his speech on January 6.”
Text about Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2020 was also modified to add the word “alleged” in front of “solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election.”
It comes after Trump signed an executive order seeking to purge the Smithsonian of “anti-American ideology” and attempted to fire the head of the National Portrait Gallery, which is also part of the Smithsonian.
Museum officials have said they were “not asked by any administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit”, describing the change as part of a routine replacement of material that was only ever meant to be temporary.
The original notice was added to the museum’s ‘The American Presidency’ exhibit in September 2021, suspended at the front of a display case on the limits of presidential power.
Its title read: “Case under redesign (history happens).” But the placard then stayed in place until July 2025, when the museum finally opted for a full redesign.
“The placard… did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation,” the Smithsonian said in a statement on Aug 2.
“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.”
An inside source reportedly told The Washington Post that the placard had been challenged as part of a content review for political bias, started in response to overall pressure from the Trump administration.
“At the heart of the Smithsonian’s work is a steadfast commitment to scholarship, rigorous research, and the accurate, factual presentation of history,” said the Smithsonian on Friday.
“Adhering to principles foundational to our role as the nation’s museum, we take great care to ensure that what we present to the public reflects both intellectual integrity and thoughtful design.”
