Saturday, August 23, 2025

Trump’s attack on museums is another note from the dictator playbook

August 23, 2025

Author Toni Morrison once said, “All good art is political.” When students study art history, they learn about the confines of the artist’s political environment. They learn about how it bled into the artwork. They learn about what the piece meant to the people at the time, and what it means to us today.

Not all art is political — but all good art has something to say.

Those of us who live and work in Washington, D.C., are blessed by good art. For decades, it has been performed at the Kennedy Center. It hangs on the walls of the numerous museums and galleries.

When we visit those places, it educates us, makes us think about the past and inspires us for the future. It brings joy to millions and empowers us to think beyond what’s right in front of us — to remember the history that walked so we could run and the movements that led us here today.

For Trump, that makes these institutions dangerous — an enemy to be controlled and defeated. Like all dictators, Trump’s most dangerous opponent is knowledge.

That’s why Trump has turned his attention to the Smithsonians and the Kennedy Center.

This weekly premium newsletter highlights essential but often overlooked stories about democracy and voting rights.

If you’re paying attention to the erosion of cultural institutions like the Smithsonian and how these attacks impact our greater democracy, become a member to support independent pro-democracy media like ours.

JOIN TODAY

Trump’s attack on the Kennedy Center started early in his administration. He fired the members of the board of trustees, ousted former chairman David M. Rubenstein and named himself to the position — an unprecedented attack on a national treasure. Trump also decided to dictate programming, and most recently, he floated renaming the building the “Trump Kennedy Center.”

Some of this speaks to Trump’s ego. As he made clear in his real estate career, Trump loves to see his name on a building.

However, Trump’s sudden interest in the Kennedy Center is part of a much broader plan: to control what is seen and heard by the American people. To put it in his words, “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST.”

Now, Trump is setting his sights on the Smithsonian museums. In a Truth Social post, he ranted, “The museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’ The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”

Earlier in the month, the White House launched a “comprehensive review” of the Smithsonian exhibitions, giving the museums 120 days to “assess tone, historical framing and alignment with American ideals.” They also released a list of exhibits and artworks they found “objectionable.” Trump’s main gripe was the focus on slavery — he would rather deny atrocities and rewrite history.

The Smithsonian Institution includes a network of more than 15 museums in Washington, D.C., from the Museum of Natural History to the National Museum of African Art to the National Air and Space Museum. They house incredibly important works of art, history and culture, and importantly, they’re free — open to anyone in Washington, D.C., who is interested or seeking air conditioning in the scorching humidity.

More than half of the Smithsonian Institution's budget comes from federal funding, so Trump’s Truth Social threat is not an empty one.

It’s clear: It’s not enough for Trump to spread disinformation through the media — he now needs to control history and the art that was inspired by it.

This is a flashing red siren for the rise of an authoritarian regime. In Germany, the Third Reich held a tight grip on art, determined to display images of a flourishing Germany and military power that promoted their propaganda. Modern art — which Adolf Hitler called “degenerate” — was removed from display.

Let’s look at an even more recent example: In Russia, President Vladimir Putin has started using museums to rewrite history about Ukrainian identity and push his wartime agenda.

That’s exactly why Trump needs to control the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institution: he needs history and art to reflect his extreme, MAGA narrative. He needs to have power over what people are saying, what children are learning and what Americans are believing.

Art is political, and Trump’s interest in controlling it is a clear warning: we’re sinking further and further into an authoritarian regime, and we must act before it’s too late.