Smithsonian takes down details about Trump’s impeachments from presidential portrait exhibition

The Smithsonian has taken down details about President Donald Trump’s impeachments from an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

The removal occurred last week when the museum installed a black-and-white portrait of Trump in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition with a short label that notes his birth date and that he is the 45th and 47th president.

The previous label, according to the museum website, included more details, and the sentence: “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials.”

The new portrait, by White House photographer Daniel Torok, shows Trump standing in the Oval Office with his hands balled into fists on the resolute desk.

In a statement to CNN on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Smithsonian told CNN that the National Portrait Gallery has begun an update to the “America’s Presidents” exhibition and is looking into a more minimalist approach for new additions.

“For some new exhibitions and displays, the museum has been exploring quotes or tombstone labels, which provide only general information, such as the artist’s name,” the spokesperson said. “The history of Presidential impeachments continues to be represented in our museums, including the National Museum of American History.”

The administration praised the new portrait and touted it on social media over the weekend. In a statement to CNN on Sunday, a White House spokesman said Trump’s “unmatched aura will be seen and felt throughout the halls of the National Portrait Gallery.”

The new portrait and exhibition label comes as the Smithsonian faces pressure from the White House to comply with its unprecedented, wide-ranging review and align itself with the administration’s push to stamp out what it considers anti-American propaganda.

Last month, the administration signaled that it would withhold federal funding allocated to the museum complex if it did not share materials it had asked for in August. In a letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, White House officials said materials the institution handed over in September “fell far short of what was requested, and the overwhelming majority of requested items remain outstanding.”

The officials set a new deadline, January 13, to turn over the materials, which include gallery labels, future exhibition plans and curatorial manuals, among other things.

“The American people will have no patience for any museum that is diffident about America’s founding or otherwise uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history, one which is justifiably proud of our country’s accomplishments and record,” the officials said.

The Smithsonian has had to contend with increased scrutiny from the administration over the past year, as Trump has sought to exert influence over the institution, which has long held that it is not an executive agency, but a unique private-public partnership.

In June, Trump claimed that he was firing the former National Portrait Gallery director, Kim Sajet, over her alleged partisanship and support for DEI. Later, the Smithsonian publicly stated that the president has no authority over personnel decisions, but Sajet resigned a few weeks after being targeted by Trump.

Then, in July, artist Amy Sherald canceled a major Smithsonian exhibition of her work that had been due to run last year at the gallery, citing censorship over one of her paintings depicting the Statue of Liberty modeled after a transgender artist. The Smithsonian denied that it had censored Sherald and said that they had asked to include a video that would contextualize the painting before she ultimately decided to withdraw her show.

And in August, the Smithsonian faced public outcry after the National Museum of American History removed a temporary placard referencing Trump’s two impeachments from an exhibit related to the presidency. The institution insisted the removal was temporary, denied it had been pressured by any government official and reinstalled the panel days with some changes.