Trump executive order targets DEI at parks, museums and more – USA TODAY

President Donald Trump has ordered federal officials to scour monuments, memorials and statues to remove language he says may “inappropriately disparage Americans,” as part of his efforts to fight DEI and foster what he argues is necessary national patriotism.
Trump and other conservatives have railed against what they see as inappropriate focus by national parks and other historical sites on America’s history of enslavement, land theft and discrimination. Trump argues such focus perpetuates “a false reconstruction of American history” and that the sites should instead be promoting American exceptionalism.
Critics argue efforts like Trump’s newly issued executive order are tantamount to whitewashing the sometimes-tragic history of the United States, and that all Americans deserve to know the full story. Trump’s order mirrors similar efforts in Florida, Texas and other states to alter how American history is taught.
In a Thursday executive order titled “restoring truth and sanity to American history,” issued Thursday, Trump objected to what he called a concerted effort to downplay American successes, and to cast historical milestones and the nation’s founding principles “in a negative light.
He directed the U.S. Department of the Interior and other agencies to review Smithsonian exhibits and national park service sites for what he believes are anti-American displays and sentiment.
As an example, Trump objected to how at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, park leaders “pressured” rangers into thinking about how their own racial identity should dictate how they interpret the park for visitors. He also cited how the National Museum of African American History and Culture has proclaimed that “hard work,” “individualism,” and “the nuclear family” are aspects of white culture.
“Museums in our nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn – not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” Trump said.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, currently has exhibits focusing on the power of Black protest, the impact of enslavement on communities, and historical discrimination faced by Black members of the U.S. military. The museum was created specifically to tell the stories of Black Americans and the “unvarnished truth.”
In his order, Trump criticized the museum and other Smithsonian exhibits as promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
In addition to telling the story of the Declaration of Independence and its “all men are created equal” phrasing, the Independence National Historical Park also explains how Black people were detained under the Fugitive Slave Act in the same building.
Last year, Shannon Estenoz, who at the time oversaw the Interior Department’s National Park Service, told USA TODAY that she believed it was important that all Americans see themselves and their experiences reflected in parks and historic sites.
“We have to be able to confront those stories and interpret them and put them in front of future generations so that they understand all of the chapters of our nation’s history,” she said. “Black history is American history. Native American history is American history. This is all part of the story of our nation.”
Trump has also ordered officials to continue preparations for a nationwide 250th anniversary celebration next year.