Raskin introduces bill to put Trump ‘propaganda’ in Smithsonian museum

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has introduced a bill directing the Smithsonian Institution to display the Trump administration’s “propaganda” in the National Museum of American History.The legislation would require the Smithsonian to preserve the banners featuring President Donald Trump outside several federal buildings around the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and any other artifacts “reflecting the rise of governmental propaganda, corruption, and authoritarianism” during Trump’s two terms.Last month, the Interior Department moved forward with a plan to install signs outside the National Museum of American History that warn visitors about the curators’ “personal, radical ideologies.” Under the new bill, the National Park Service would be directed to remove such signs that were erected near the National Museum of American History without congressional authorization.“Unlike President Trump’s project of censoring, whitewashing and fictionalizing American history, my legislation will forever preserve his manifestations of authoritarian narcissism and his propagandistic assault on American history and American democracy,” Raskin said in a statement on Wednesday.Banners, one of President George Washington that reads “America’s First,” left, and another of President Donald Trump that reads, “America First” hang above the entrance of the US Department of the Interior Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) “To avoid repeating this descent into authoritarianism,” he added, “we must study this corrupt President’s actions and allow the public to learn about the numerous tools he deployed while attempting to remake American history in his own image and according to his own autocratic and white nationalist beliefs.”If the measure passes, the Smithsonian would receive $5 million in congressional appropriations to collect and preserve the signage.The Washington Examiner contacted the Smithsonian for comment on Raskin’s bill.The White House has been waging a concerted ideological campaign against the Smithsonian since Trump returned to office last year. He has repeatedly targeted the institution’s exhibits and leadership, claiming they are captured by a pervasive left-leaning ideological bias.On July 4, marking the 250th anniversary of America, the White House released a 162-page report accusing the Smithsonian of minimizing or excluding the nation’s founders and promoting activism for transgender people or illegal immigrants.TRUMP DEMANDS SMITHSONIAN HONOR GEORGE WASHINGTON WITH NEW STATUE AND EXHIBITIONThe findings prompted the administration to cut the Smithsonian’s federal funding in its fiscal year 2027 budget request. The White House proposed an 11% decrease in funding from the last fiscal year, amounting to just over $960 million. This is the lowest level of proposed federal funding that the institution has seen since 2020.The debate over the nation’s preeminent cultural center caused Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III to announce his resignation. Bunch, 73, is set to retire from his post by the end of the year.