Trump slams 'woke' museums for failing to celebrate America's 'success'

Donald Trump launched an attack on Truth Social on Tuesday, targeting the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC, along with institutions "all over the country", branding them as excessively "WOKE".

The US president posted on his social media platform, claiming the Smithsonian museums have become too "woke" and are "OUT OF CONTROL," presenting only the "horrible" aspects of America.

He went on to argue that these institutions focus on depicting how "bad" slavery was and portray the downtrodden as "unaccomplished", questioning why there appeared to be "nothing" positive about America or the nation's "success.

"The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of "WOKE. " The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been," Trump posted on the platform, reports The Irish Star.

He then revealed he had instructed his "attorneys" to begin examining each museum and implement the same "process" his administration had applied to "Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made."

"Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future. We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have 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," he added. Trump then declared that being woke is "broke" and claimed that America is the "HOTTEST" country in the world, a statement he often makes about the United States.

"This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the "HOTTEST" Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums," he concluded.

Social media users reacted to the news, with some criticising President Trump for his decision and his comments on the matter.

"Aww, Trump's having an identity crisis. He just found out America was never as "great" as the myth he's been peddling on that cheap red hat made in China," Black Lives Matter posted on social media.

"Now he's calling in his big bad lawyers to scrub the #Smithsonian clean, to brainwash, sedate, and lock the country in his fascist fairytale where he's the hero, slavery never happened, and everyone lives MAGA-ever after.

"It takes a single trip to any Smithsonian, including the American history museum and the African American history and culture museum, to know that the claim they feature "nothing about Success" and "nothing about Brightness" is categorically false," CNN's Daniel Dale wrote on social media.

"Now museums are being targeted because they speak too openly about the horrors of slavery. If telling the truth about slavery makes a museum 'too woke,' then the problem isn't the history, it's the people who want to erase it," renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump posted on social media.

"WHAT A DISGRACE: Trump attacks the Smithsonian for teaching how brutal slavery was. He has instructed his attorneys to begin reviewing the museum so it could be remade in Trump's image," Brian Allen posted on X.

"My ancestors were packed like cargo, chained in their waste, some choosing the ocean over bondage. Entire coastal communities moved inland to escape night raids by Portuguese traffickers and their partners. That isn't "woke. "That is the record. Museums keep receipts so politicians can't rewrite them," he continued.

Earlier this month, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a United States Representative of Massachusetts, issued a statement on X following reports from the Wall Street Journal that the Trump administration planned a "far-reaching review" of Smithsonian museum exhibitions.

"It is the responsibility of the Smithsonian museums to ensure a full, accurate, and resonant telling of our shared American history - and Trump has no right to censor our history, ignore the systematic oppression of marginalised people, and attack our intellectual freedom."

This news follows a letter sent by the Trump administration to the Smithsonian Institution last week, requesting a "comprehensive internal review" of eight of its museums.

"In this spirit, and in accordance with Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, we will be leading a comprehensive internal review of selected Smithsonian museums and exhibitions," the letter stated.

"This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions."

The first phase of this initiative includes eight museums: the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.