Donald Trump has clearly been poring over Great Dictators of History, and has realized that what he needs to do now is to clamp down on free expression in art. That's what all good dictators worth their salt do, isn't it?
With that in mind, he has called for a "comprehensive internal review" of eight Smithsonian museums. The official letter sent to the museums says it is 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 letter says that the White House will not "interfere with the day-to-day operations of curators or staff", although clearly that is exactly what the White House proposes to do.
A White House statement confirms, "President Trump will explore all options and avenues to get the Woke out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable. He will start with the Smithsonian and then go from there." It calls out some of the institution's artwork, exhibitions, programs, even its online articles, for their focus on race, slavery, immigration and sexuality.
Trump's own social media posts lay it out with a bit more clarity: "The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of WOKE", adding that they are "OUT OF CONTROL". He followed up with possibly the most stereotypically Trump post ever: "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."
His interest in Washington's museums, which I am sure he has never actually visited, appears to have been piqued by an article in The Federalist (an alt-right website peddling all manner of conspiracy theories and extreme viewpoints) which concluded that the museums are filled with "wall-to-wall anti-American propaganda". For example, one work singled out for detailed attention is Rigoberto A. Gonzales' 2020 painting entitled "Refugees Crossing the Border Wall into South Texas", for obvious reasons.
It's unfortunate, but one can't help but be put in mind of the Nazi war on modern or "degenerate" art in the 1930s. Trump, like any good dictator, is seeking to bend the art world to his own ideas of what American culture should be and show. It is cultural revisionism at its best (worst).
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