WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump criticized what he called the Smithsonian's overwhelming focus on oppression Friday and called for a five-year exhibition on George Washington, in his latest critique of an institution he’s repeatedly attacked.
The Republican leader denounced the Smithsonian for months, in what critics call part of a campaign to present U.S. history from a conservative point of view. On Tuesday, Smithsonian chief Lonnie Bunch said he will retire.
Trump said on social media that "under recently ended leadership," the Smithsonian took steps "to focus attention overwhelmingly on those who have been oppressed, but there is almost no attention paid to those who triumphed over great oppression, and against great odds."
Visitors arrive July 30 at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington.
"I am calling on the Smithsonian Institution to honor the Life and Legacy of George Washington, America's Greatest Hero, with a five-year exhibition at the National Museum of American History, beginning now, and continuing through, February 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth," Trump added.
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He said he also calls on the Smithsonian to "erect a 30-foot 'Colossus statue'" of Washington outside the museum.
He also asked the Smithsonian to install an 11-foot statue of Washington that was featured at the recent Freedom 250 Grand Prix race in the museum's Flag Hall.
The Trump administration previously threatened to cut federal funding and federal agencies' support for the Smithsonian, ​with Trump expressing displeasure at what he called the institution's excessive focus on ​how bad slavery was.
Last year, his administration launched a review of some museums and his White House accused the institution's National Museum of American History of "thinly veiled anti-Americanism."
Trump also ordered installation of signs outside the museum to reflect his administration's criticism.
Historians and civil rights advocates denounced Trump's attacks and his accusations against the institution, saying such steps risk reversing social progress and undermine the acknowledgment of critical phases of U.S. history.
Trump says he aims to remove "anti-American ideology."
Bunch ​said the White House's accusations against the National Museum of American History were unfair.
The Smithsonian is a vast museum and research complex and a premier exhibition space for U.S. history and culture, with 21 museums and galleries and the National Zoo.
Trump targeted U.S. cultural and historical institutions — from museums to monuments to national parks — with his declarations and orders leading to the dismantling of slavery exhibits and ​the restoration of Confederate statues.
