Removing what the administration deems “woke,” the White House erases uncomfortable historical truths. In March 2025, Trump issued an executive order aimed at federal sites dedicated to history, accusing the Smithsonian of promoting a “divisive, race-centered ideology”. The order directed that the Smithsonian (according to former senior historian and curator David C. Ward) “celebrate American exceptionalism” and eliminate exhibits or programs that “degrade shared American values”. Trump also…