President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 24 July 2026 mandating temporary signage outside the National Museum of American History (NMAH) in Washington, DC, warning visitors that the museum's exhibits may contain politically biased content.

The order, titled "Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution," directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to work with the director of the National Park Service and the assistant to the president for domestic policy to install the signs along NPS-maintained sidewalks and walkways used to reach the museum. It also urges the installation of temporary exhibits or signage on federal land that would correct what the administration calls inaccurate information presented inside The Art Newspaper.

The signage requirement is tied to a 162-page Domestic Policy Council report released on 4 July 2026. The order states that museum exhibits should be renovated in line with that report's findings.

A White House fact sheet published alongside the order alleges the report found that Smithsonian and NMAH leaders have directed the museum's mission toward "extreme political activism rooted in Marxism." The fact sheet claims the Smithsonian "cannot be trusted to tell America's story honestly" and is not properly stewarding more than US$1 billion entrusted by American taxpayers each year The Art Newspaper.

Federal appropriations account for roughly 62% of the Smithsonian Institution's annual budget, according to The Art Newspaper. The institution comprises 21 museums and the National Zoo Reuters.

NMAH director Anthea Hartig appeared before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on 21 and 22 July 2026, at hearings titled "Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian's Efforts to Reshape the Past." During questioning, Republican Representative Brandon Gill of Texas asked Hartig: "Is Mickey Mouse racist?" The Art Newspaper.

Hartig defended the museum's approach, telling the subcommittee: "Examining the harder chapters of our history is not the same as hostility toward America" The Art Newspaper.

The order is the latest in a string of administration actions targeting the Smithsonian. In March 2025, Trump issued an executive order stating the institution had come under the influence of a "divisive, race-centered ideology," placing Vice President JD Vance in charge of an effort to "remove improper ideology" from the institution Associated Press. Reuters reported in October 2025 that Trump had previously ordered signs placed outside a Smithsonian museum to correct what he called "inaccurate information" Reuters.

On 9 July 2026, the head of the Smithsonian stated that a White House report had unfairly characterised U.S. history Reuters.

For a visitor walking up to the National Museum of American History now, the first thing they may encounter before the doors is a government-issued sign telling them the exhibits inside may not be trustworthy. The question of who decides what counts as accurate American history is now being fought over on the pavement.