Smithsonian Flip-Flops on Erasing Mention of Trump from Impeachment Display
154Aug. 5, 2025
TheSmithsonian Institutionin Washington, DC, has said it will restore information regarding President Donald Trump’s two impeachments, after it altered a placard mentioning them in a section on historical impeachments of US presidents in the exhibition “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden.” TheWashington Poston July 31 reported that the Smithsonian had withdrawn mention of Trump’s prior impeachments from a display that featured those of Bill Clinton and Andrew Jackson and the resignation of Richard Nixon, who left office before impeachment proceedings against him could take place. The modified placard noted that “only three presidents have seriously faced removal”—omitting mention of Trump’s 2019 impeachment on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, related to allegations that he illegally sought help from Ukrainian officials in influencing the outcome of the 2020 election, and his 2021 impeachment on a single charge of inciting insurrection, related to the January 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Trump was acquitted by the Senate in both instances.
At the time of removal, a museum spokesperson told thePostthe Smithsonian had reverted to the 2008 iteration of the placard, which predated Trump’s first term by eight years, “because the other topics in this section had not been updated.”
In an August 2 post on the platform X, the Smithsonian said it would restore the information.
“The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a 25-year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation,” wrote the institution. “It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard. We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit.
“The section in question, ‘Impeachment,’ will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history.”