The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History has quietly removed a reference to former President Donald Trump’s two impeachments from a key exhibition, following reported pressure from the White House, The Washington Post has revealed.
The label, which had been part of the museum’s “American Presidency” exhibit since 2021, noted Trump’s unique status as the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice—first in 2019 over abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, and again in 2021 for inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In both instances, Trump was acquitted by the Senate.
The decision to remove the label reportedly stemmed from a broader content review initiated under pressure from the Trump administration, which also sought to oust an art museum director, according to the Post. A source familiar with the matter, but not authorised to speak publicly, said the review led to the reversion of the exhibit’s signage to an earlier 2008 version. That label states only that “three presidents have seriously faced removal” — Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Richard Nixon, the latter of whom resigned in 1974 before formal impeachment.
In response to queries, the Smithsonian said a revised and updated version of the exhibit will be developed in the future to “include all impeachments.” However, no timeline has been announced for its completion.
The change comes amid a broader push by President Trump in his second term to reshape federal cultural and educational institutions. Since returning to office in January, Trump has slashed funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, cut the National Park Service budget, and signed a sweeping executive order in March targeting institutions like the Smithsonian.
That order, which aimed to “restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness,” accused the museum system of promoting “divisive, race-centered ideology” and narratives that allegedly frame U.S. values as “inherently harmful.”
Vice President J.D. Vance, who sits on the Smithsonian’s board of regents, has been tasked with coordinating Congressional action to restrict federal funding for programs or exhibits deemed inconsistent with what the administration calls “shared American values.”
The Trump administration has also taken control of other cultural landmarks. Earlier this year, President Trump dismissed board members of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and named himself chairman, claiming the institution had become too “woke.”
Critics argue the moves represent an aggressive effort to rewrite public narratives and erase inconvenient chapters of recent history. For now, the Smithsonian’s exhibit remains without any mention of the only president in U.S. history to face impeachment twice.
