Trump orders signs at Smithsonian museum warning of ‘inaccurate’ history

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July 25, 2026

Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY

The executive order said temporary signs would “direct visitors to locations and resources for accurate information regarding America’s history.”

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on the National Mall is one of the instutions Jones plans to visit (Gunnar Klack, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

President Donald Trump ordered signs outside the National Museum of American History warning visitors that American historical accounts inside aren’t accurate, in his telling.

Visitors walking into the Smithsonian Institution museum in Washington, D.C., could see temporary signage or exhibits alerting them of the contents inside the space, according to the July 24 executive order, which directs the Interior Department to place the warnings.

The order comes after the White House released a 162-page report on July 4 that disputed the Smithsonian’s accounting of American history. The report, by the White House Domestic Policy Council, said the National Museum of American History was “an instrument” for a “radical, activist cohort” that sought to reframe “the American story to serve its ideological ends.”

Trump’s latest order said signage should notify visitors that the museum’s exhibits “should be renovated consistent with findings” in the White House report. His order said the new signs would “direct visitors to locations and resources for accurate information regarding America’s history.”

USA Today has more details.

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