Trump Orders Warning Signs Outside the Smithsonian's American History Museum

President Trump signed an executive order on July 24, 2026 directing the Interior Department, through the National Park Service, to install signage on public walkways leading to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, informing visitors of the findings of a White House Domestic Policy Council report, "Saving America's Story." The order says the report shows museum leadership treats American history as a "prime tool" to advance social justice and "the radical transformation of our society." It also directs Interior, OMB, GSA and the domestic policy adviser to "identify and utilize any and all available authorities" — including funding and contract conditions — to press for changes.

The Smithsonian is a trust instrumentality governed by its own Board of Regents rather than a line agency under presidential control. The order works around that structure: it does not command the museum, but places a government-authored rebuttal on the public approach to its doors while pointing at funding levers. That raises questions about the boundary between oversight of federal spending and government direction of historical narrative.

The order follows Executive Order 14253 of March 27, 2025 and a report issued July 4, 2026. No court has ruled on it.