By José Niño
President Donald Trump has launched an unprecedented campaign against what he calls “woke” ideology in American cultural and educational institutions, wielding federal funding as a weapon to reshape the operation of the nation’s museums and universities.
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Recently, Trump’s rhetoric has escalated dramatically, particularly targeting the Smithsonian Institution for what he considers excessive focus on the colonial phase of American history.
The president’s most provocative assault came on July 19, when he posted on “Truth Social” that the Smithsonian museums were “out of control,” complaining that “everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”
Trump declared:
I’ve instructed my attorneys to go through the museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with colleges and universities where tremendous progress has been made.
This escalation followed a mid-August White House announcement of a sweeping review of eight Smithsonian museums to eliminate what Trump calls “divisive or partisan narratives” and ensure they promote “American exceptionalism.” A White House official confirmed Trump’s intention to expand the review beyond the Smithsonian, stating that the president “will explore all options and avenues to get the ‘woke’ out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable.”
Lindsey Halligan, a former Trump lawyer who is now leading the Smithsonian review, echoed the president’s concerns, telling Fox News that museums have an “overemphasis on slavery” and “there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we’ve come since slavery.”
The administration’s offensive against the excesses of woke goes beyond mere rhetoric. Trump signed an executive order in March directing officials to eliminate “improper, divisive, or anti-American” ideology from the museums. The White House has also fired the director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Museum professionals and historians have responded with alarm. Sarah Weicksel, executive director of the American Historical Association, warned that:
Such political interference stands to impose a single and flawed view of American history onto the Smithsonian, placing at risk the integrity and accuracy of historical interpretation.
Trump’s tactics against universities have proven to be more financially deleterious. Harvard University has reportedly signaled willingness to pay $500 million for workforce training programs as part of a settlement with the White House to restore more than $2 billion in frozen federal funds. This would represent the largest financial penalty imposed on a university during Trump’s campaign cracking down on universities that are perceived to be havens of anti-Semitism.
The precedent was set by Columbia University, which agreed to pay the federal government $200 million over three years, plus an additional $21 million to resolve investigations launched by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Brown University agreed to pay $50 million over 10 years for workforce development programs in Rhode Island.
The Trump administration has justified these actions by citing concerns about anti-Semitism on campuses following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and subsequent pro-Palestinian protests. However, the settlements touch upon other issues, requiring universities to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, submit detailed admissions data including applicant race and test scores, and, in some cases, accept independent monitors to oversee compliance.
Trump’s approach reveals a systematic strategy to leverage federal funding dependence. Universities like Harvard, which have been the consistent beneficiaries of billions in federal research grants, find themselves with limited options when confronted with the threat of having their funding dramatically slashed.
As the Associated Press observed:
What began as an investigation into campus anti-Semitism escalated into an all-out feud as the Trump administration slashed more than $2.6 billion in research funding, ended federal contracts and attempted to block Harvard students from federal financial aid programs.
The president has made clear his intention to make examples out of universities. Education Secretary Linda McMahon described the Columbia settlement as “a roadmap” for other elite schools, while Trump reportedly insisted that Harvard pay more than Columbia’s $200 million penalty.
The campaign to force museums and universities to be more pro-American represents part of Trump’s broader effort to reshape U.S. cultural institutions. As Trump’s second term progresses, the pressure on cultural and educational institutions appears likely to intensify. The president’s success in forcing settlements from elite universities has emboldened efforts to reshape museum exhibitions ahead of America’s 250th anniversary celebration in 2026.
Whether Trump and his administration can reverse the left’s capture of cultural institutions without threatening free speech is the question.
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. You can contact him via Facebook and Twitter. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control at josealbertonino.gumroad.com. Subscribe to his “Substack” newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
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