Trump controls museums: the cultural struggle before the 250th birthday!

Trump controls museums: the cultural struggle before the 250th birthday!

The US government under President Donald Trump has announced that the exhibitions of various museums to be examined for "split or party" narratives. This measure is part of a comprehensive strategy to prepare for the 250th birthday of the United States in the coming year. Museums are obliged to present concept designs, exhibition plans as well as catalogs and programs of all current exhibitions, whereby the deadline for submission is sometimes only 30 days. This requirement concerns, among other things, important facilities of the Smithsonian Institution, which includes 21 museums and 14 educational and research institutions that are in Washington D.C. are located and grant free admission.

The step is sharply criticized: opponents accuse the Trump government of leading a cultural struggle and restricting artistic freedom. This is done against the background that Trump had already ordered by decree in spring that museum exhibitions should be adjusted to promote a more positive representation of US history. In this context, Trump himself claimed that in the past ten years there have been attempts to rewrite and discredit the history of the United States.

criticism of the implementation

The presidential office aims to remove negative aspects of US history, such as racism and sexism. Trump and his team in particular criticize the previous government under Joe Biden for an ideologically distorted and negative history. In the meantime, Vice President JD Vance is entrusted with the task of restoring "truth and reason in American history". This happens in the hope of promoting a stronger national pride and focusing on common American values.

affected museums that are included in the review include the National Museum of American History , the National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of African American History and Culture . However, critics like great historians and cultural mediators warn that these measures increase the risk of political influence on the independence of the museums.

Trump's vision for the Smithsonian Institution

The focus is particularly on the Smithsonian Institution, which according to Trump spreads dividing ideologies and considers the representation of Western values to be harmful. Using specific examples, such as the exhibition "The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture" in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, it becomes clear that the new guidelines could have far -reaching effects on museum practice. The President has also announced that no money will be spent on exhibitions in the future that reduce the common American values.

The Smithsonian Institution receives about 62 percent of its financing through the congress, while the rest of the donations and membership contributions come. A spokeswoman for the institution refused to comment on Trump's decree and left open how the organization would react to these political changes. The debate about this cultural-political attempt to influence is still at the beginning and will be observed with tension.

Further information can also be found at vienna.at , Tagesschau and SPIEGEL .