President Donald Trump has directed the National Park Service to place temporary signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History warning visitors that some exhibits contain information his administration considers inaccurate.

The order applies to sidewalks controlled by the National Park Service near Smithsonian museums along Washington’s National Mall. The signs are expected to promote a White House report criticizing the museum’s presentation of American history.

According to the order, visitors should be told that exhibits need to be revised in line with the report’s findings and directed toward other sources of what the administration calls accurate historical information. The directive does not identify those alternative resources.

White House challenges museum exhibits

The White House Domestic Policy Council released its report on July 4, accusing Smithsonian leaders and the National Museum of American History of promoting left-wing political activism. The administration says its intervention is intended to return the institution to a more unifying account of the country’s past.

Critics argue the campaign is an attempt to reshape public history around a conservative political narrative. The latest action follows a March 2025 executive order targeting what the White House described as historical revisionism that portrays the United States too negatively.

Smithsonian independence at issue

The Smithsonian is an independent institution designed to operate outside direct executive-branch control. However, the federal government provides much of its funding, and Vice President JD Vance serves on its governing board.

Smithsonian officials have previously said the institution will preserve its scholarly independence despite pressure over exhibits and personnel decisions. The organization declined to comment on Friday’s new order, CNN reported.

The dispute highlights a widening political fight over how national museums should present slavery, civil rights and other contested chapters of American history as the country marks its 250th anniversary.

Source: CNN. This article is an independently written summary.