In March, he signed an executive order titled "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," which accused the Smithsonian of coming under the influence of a "divisive, race-centered ideology" and sought to remove what it described as "improper ideology" from the institution's museums.

An angry article on the White House website, headlined “President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian,” lists a series of perceived offenses from museums in the capital, ranging from flying the Progress Pride flag alongside the Stars and Stripes to showing a stop-motion animation of Dr. Anthony Fauci.