President Trump Signs Order to Reinstate Removed Statues, Eliminate ‘Anti-American’ Ideology from Museums
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing federal agencies to restore historical monuments and statues removed during the Biden administration, with the White House stating the move aims to eliminate “anti-American” ideology from museums.
Titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the order instructs the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate statues and historical monuments taken down since January 1, 2020. It also assigns Vice President JD Vance, a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to review “divisive” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution.
The order further prohibits taxpayer funding for exhibitions that “degrade shared American values” or promote race-based narratives in violation of federal law.
“Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history … reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed,” the order stated. “It is the policy of my Administration to restore Federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union.”
The order specifically criticizes the National Museum of African American History and Culture for allegedly portraying individualism and the nuclear family as elements of “white culture.”
“Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn — not to be subjected to divisive narratives,” the order added.
A White House fact sheet further explains, “The Order also directs the Secretary of the Interior restore Federal parks, monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events.”
Additionally, the order is in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, with the secretary of the interior being tasked with completing these improvements by that date.
The White House has not specified which statues or monuments may be reinstated. The Smithsonian Institution includes 21 museums, such as the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History. The order is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to rollback DEI initiatives within the federal government
