Trump issues order for removal of 'anti-American ideology' from the Smithsonian

Donald Trump has ordered a reshaping of the Smithsonian Institution, claiming he will eliminate what his administration regards as "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from the world's largest set of museums, educational and research entities grouped under one umbrella.

- Adam Gabbatt Marina Dunbar

In an executive order issued late on Thursday, the US president said there had been a "concerted and widespread" effort over the past decade to rewrite US history by replacing "objective facts" with a "distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth".

The announcement prompted outrage from critics, who accused Trump of taking action to "remove diversity" from American history.

The order directs JD Vance, the vice-president, to "remove improper ideology" from the Smithsonian's museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.

It also directs Vance to ensure that the American Women's History Museum does not "recognize men as women in any respect".

Vance has been directed to work with congressional leaders in the House and Senate to appoint new citizen members to the Smithsonian Board of Regents who will be "committed to advancing the policy of this order."

In language that reflected Republican talking points often heard on hard-right news channels, Trump claimed the US had witnessed an effort to "rewrite history".

"Under this historical revision, our nation's unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed," the president said.

Trump's order pointed to an exhibit at the American Art Museum, titled: The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture.