The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, under pressure from the Trump administration, removed references to the two impeachment proceedings against the former US president from an exhibition in July, as reported by the Washington Post.
The section in the exhibition titled “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden”, which opened in 2000, had included information on the impeachment proceedings since September 2021. These proceedings targeted Donald Trump during his first term.
The first impeachment occurred in December 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress following pressure on Ukraine to damage Joe Biden. The second took place in January 2021 for incitement to insurrection after Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol.
In both instances, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate.
Currently, the exhibition only provides details on the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. It also mentions Richard Nixon, who faced impeachment before resigning in 1974.
The Smithsonian has announced that a future updated exhibition will include all impeachment proceedings, though it did not specify when this will be implemented.
In March, Donald Trump signed an executive order to regain control over the Smithsonian museums’ content. The museums have been accused of “historical revisionism” and engaging in “racial ideological indoctrination” over the past decade.
This change follows a content review that the institution agreed to conduct under pressure from the White House, which also attempted to dismiss the director of the National Gallery of Art before her resignation in June.
