Lonnie G. Bunch III (R)beams while meeting with Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken/Image: This image is a work of a United States Department of State employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties.
Smithsonian head Lonnie G. Bunch III announced his retirement under a cloud of allegations of far-left woke messaging at its museums.
Smithsonian Magazine announced, “In a statement issued today, Lonnie G. Bunch III announced his retirement after seven years as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian.”
“I have spent nearly half of my life working at and being part of the Smithsonian family, and what a privilege it has been,” he wrote.
“There is no place like the Smithsonian—it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together. I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.”
The Smithsonian, particularly the National Museum of American History (NMAH ) and related exhibits, has been accused of downplaying or negatively reframing aspects of American history in favor of a more critical, race- and social-justice-focused narrative.
The White House shared a 162-page report from the Domestic Policy Council, “Saving America’s Story,” that accuses the NMAH of “ideological capture” by a “radical, activist ideology.”
Further, it claims the museum erases or minimizes America’s heritage, downplays the Founders and positive milestones, emphasizes social justice themes, and treats the American story as a tool for division rather than shared national pride. The report was released on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
In March 2025, President Trump issued the Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” and ordered steps to counter what the administration described as a widespread effort to rewrite U.S. history by casting founding principles and achievements in a negative light (as inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive).
It specifically called out the Smithsonian for promoting “divisive, race-centered ideology.”
NMAH’s shift toward wokeness and activism has been a hot topic in DC. During a House Oversight hearing, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) grilled NMAH’s Director, Dr. Anthea Hartig, over the institution’s anti-white agenda and efforts to rewrite American history.
Dr. Jody Edward Ginn, a historian and museum professional, spoke with Fox News after making his first visit in a decade and was troubled, noting he found it to be “a completely different place than when I was there in 2012.”
Ginn also noted that he found “factually incorrect information” and, in some exhibits, what the institution left out was just as misleading.
The great-grandson of a slave, bishop and author Earl Walker Jackson, also blasted the institution for its anti-American woke indoctrination against ‘the greatest country on earth.”
Read more:
Great-Grandson of Slaves Blasts Smithsonian’s Woke ‘Indoctrination’: ‘It Makes Me Angry’ (Video)
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