The Smithsonian will once again include President Donald Trump‘s two impeachments in an updated display after it removed references to his two Senate trials.
The alterations to the exhibit at the National Museum of American History, first reported by the Washington Post, occurred in July.
In a new statement dated 2 August, the Smithsonian confirmed that a placard was removed from the exhibit, ‘The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden’.
Museum placard removed due to “appearance”
It said: “The intent of the impeachment section of the exhibit is to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history”.
The placard, the Smithsonian added, was a temporary addition to a 25-year-old exhibition and “did not meet the museum‘s standards in appearance, location, timeline and overall presentation”.
“It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard,” it said.
The news that Trump was no longer listed among impeached presidents sparked concerns over the White House’s influence on the Smithsonian.
However, the Smithsonian confirmed in the statement that it was “not asked by any administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit”.
The “section in question”, it added, “will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history”.
Earlier this year, National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet resigned not long after Trump said he was firing her, and despite a statement from the Smithsonian that asserted its independence when making personnel decisions.
Smithsonian content review after Trump order
The Smithsonian also said in June that it would conduct a content review across its 21 museums and zoo to comply with a recent executive order issued by Trump, which directed the removal of “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from Smithsonian locations.
This came after the Smithsonian closed its diversity office to comply with another order issued by Trump that declared diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to be “illegal and immoral discrimination programs”.
Images courtesy of the Smithsonian
