August 28, 2026 · Information Integrity, Press & Democratic Norms

Confirmed

Interior Secretary and White House Aide Warn Federal Agencies May Stop Loaning Artifacts and Grants to the Smithsonian Unless Its Leadership Changes

In an Aug. 28, 2026 letter to the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, made public in early September, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley wrote that federal...

December 19, 2025 · Political Spectacle & Unusual Conduct

Confirmed

Kennedy Center Board Votes to Add Trump's Name to the National Arts Institution

On December 18, 2025, the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts voted to rename the institution "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." The vote...

August 12, 2025 · Information Integrity, Press & Democratic Norms

Confirmed

White House Orders a Content Review of Eight Smithsonian Museums Before the 250th Anniversary

On August 12, 2025, the White House sent a letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, signed by Lindsey Halligan, Vince Haley and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, directing a "comprehensive...