Museum Groups Rally Behind the Smithsonian as Trump Escalates Political Pressure
The US branch of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-US) has publicly thrown its weight behind the Smithsonian Institution, warning that political interference from the Trump administration threatens the future of America's museums.
In a statement published on Tuesday 11 August 2026, ICOM-US declared "unwavering support" for the Smithsonian — the sprawling research and museum complex in Washington, DC — its leadership, its governing bodies and its museum professionals. The group expressed concern for the institution's future given recent congressional hearings and administration actions (The Art Newspaper, 13 August 2026).
The pressure on the Smithsonian has been building since Donald Trump began his second term as US president in 2025. The administration has targeted what it calls "woke" programming and accused the Smithsonian of skewing American history.
In July 2026, the White House released a report titled "Saving America's Story" that concluded the Smithsonian "cannot be trusted to tell America's story honestly" and is therefore not properly stewarding the institution (White House fact sheet, 24 July 2026). The report demanded changes at the Smithsonian and accused the National Museum of American History of not being "proudly patriotic," alleging its leadership had "denigrated and displaced whites, males, Christians and Americans."
Later that month, the director of the National Museum of American History was called before Congress, where Republican lawmakers pressed him on the White House report's findings. Days later, Trump ordered that signage be erected outside the same museum warning visitors of allegedly biased exhibits inside.
The Organisation of American Historians (OAH), a professional body for historians, rejected the White House report's claims on 6 July 2026, pushing back against its demands regarding the Smithsonian (OAH statement, 6 July 2026).
ICOM-US is not the only museum body sounding the alarm. The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) issued its own statement on 20 July 2026, titled "AAM Statement on the Independence of the Smithsonian and America's Museums," condemning what it called the administration's continued attacks on the Smithsonian and museum professionals (AAM, 20 July 2026). The AAM said efforts to politicise how museums present history, art, science, culture and the natural world — along with personal attacks on museum professionals — threaten the integrity and independence of museums across the country. The same day, AAM issued a "Take Action" advocacy alert urging the public to protect the independence of the Smithsonian and America's museums.
ICOM Australia has also published a statement expressing strong support for the museum community in the United States and its efforts to educate the current administration on the social and cultural role of museums.
The ICOM-US statement of support arrived a little more than a month after ICOM — the global parent body — released an updated code of ethics, its first revision in more than two decades, which explicitly highlights the need for institutional independence.
ICOM-US concluded its statement by standing alongside AAM in affirming the essential role museums play in American civic life and the importance of safeguarding their independence, integrity and public trust.
