What A Day – “The Smithsonian Gets The Trump Edit”

August 21, 2025
Host: Jane Coaston

Episode Overview

This episode of What A Day examines the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to reshape America’s cultural institutions, with a controversial review of the Smithsonian at center stage. Host Jane Coaston uses both sharp commentary and expert interviews to break down the administration’s push to emphasize “American exceptionalism” by actively editing museum exhibits, staff, and leadership across major federal cultural entities. Coaston is joined by New York Times arts reporter Zachary Small to discuss the motives, mechanisms, and personnel behind these changes—and the impact inside the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Trump’s Criticism and New Cultural Policy

• [00:02] Jane Coaston sets the stage with a tongue-in-cheek segment about booing Republican officials before pivoting sharply to how the Trump administration is targeting national museums, especially the Smithsonian.

• Trump’s recent Truth Social post condemns the Smithsonian for being “out of control,” focusing on negative aspects of American history—slavery, injustice—rather than "success" or "the future."

  “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. Nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future.”
  — Donald Trump via Truth Social [paraphrased by Jane Coaston, 00:47]

• The White House has announced a comprehensive internal review of selected Smithsonian museums to “celebrate American exceptionalism,” remove “divisive or partisan narratives,” and “restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”

Who’s Leading the Effort

• Lindsey Halligan, a lawyer and White House special assistant, is leading the Smithsonian “reform” despite lacking art or museum experience.

• Halligan expressed on Fox News:

  “I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we've come since slavery. Our country is a country of progress and it's the greatest country in the world. And we should be able to take our kids, our students, through the Smithsonian and feel proud when we leave.”
  — Lindsey Halligan [02:18]

Expert Interview: Zachary Small (NYT)

• [03:12 – 11:00] Jane Coaston interviews Zachary Small to unpack the Trump administration's broader campaign to influence federal arts entities and the backgrounds of new appointees.

Federal Control & Funding

• Small notes:
  • Federal involvement in American cultural institutions is limited compared to other countries; most U.S. museums rely on private funding.
  • The Smithsonian (a network of 20+ museums), the National Zoo, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) are key targets.

The Smithsonian’s Independence and Executive Power

• The Smithsonian is technically not part of the executive branch, but White House staffer Halligan drafted an executive order following her complaints, with Trump’s approval, seeking reforms.

  “What our reporting has shown is that the Smithsonian came into his sort of line of sight from a staffer called Lindsey Halligan... she went to the president with some of her complaints, and he gave her approval to go ahead and draft an executive order that would take aim at some of these complaints and ask for reforms to the Smithsonian.”
  — Zachary Small [04:48]

Main Complaints and Rhetoric

• Administration’s position: American history is portrayed too negatively, with an emphasis on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and criticism of “manifest destiny.”
• Halligan and Trump seek to shift narratives toward American progress and pride.

The Kennedy Center and Board Appointments

• Trump directly intervened at the Kennedy Center by:

  • Removing Biden appointees and installing Richard Grenell (former ambassador, Trump loyalist) as president, with Trump himself as chairman.
  • Turning a traditionally bipartisan institution partisan.

  “Trump came in and he installed Richard Grenell... and Trump installed himself as chairman. So in that way, this bipartisan institution has now become very partisan.”
  — Zachary Small [06:16]

Experience and Ideology of Appointees

• Most new leaders lack arts, museum, or history backgrounds; instead, they are political loyalists.
• Notable figures include:
  • James McCrary: Traditional conservative, architect for new ballroom project—interested in aesthetics, not culture war narratives [08:28]
  • Marianne Carter (NEA): More “under the radar;” previously worked to preserve agency despite Trump’s threats to eliminate it.

Internal Reactions and Staff Morale

• Significant layoffs, especially in diversity offices.

• Morale among staffers is low and fear is widespread—especially as layoff decisions and ideological changes mount.

  “For the rank and file... they are pretty scared. There's a lot of unknown that they're facing in terms of layoffs... Also, many of these institutions had diversity offices, and people that worked for those offices have either been reassigned or have been laid off.”
  — Zachary Small [09:56]

• The Smithsonian board includes high level government officials (Supreme Court Chief Justice, Congressional leaders, VP J.D. Vance), making these culture wars play out among the nation’s elite.

Broader Policy and National Headlines

• [14:11+] The episode’s second half covers several high-impact policy moves:
  • Israel’s Gaza operation: Israel mobilizes 60,000 reservists for a deeper assault on Gaza City.
  • ODNI shakeup: National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard announces 40% staff cuts and a $700M budget reduction, citing politicization and leaks.
  • English-only in schools: The Trump administration rescinds requirements for public schools to help non-English speakers, following executive orders making English the official language.
  • Tariff impacts on video games: Trump’s tariffs raise PlayStation 5 prices by $50+; similar impacts seen with Xbox and Nintendo.
  • Texas redistricting: GOP-controlled House passes a map drawing up to five new Republican seats—fueling national gerrymandering battles.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [00:47] “I've always wanted a museum to tell me about the future, like a history book for things that haven't happened yet.”
  — Jane Coaston, sarcastically processing Trump’s “future-focused” museum demand
• [02:18] “There should be more of an overemphasis on how far we've come since slavery... we should be able to take our kids, our students, through the Smithsonian and feel proud when we leave.”
  — Lindsey Halligan
• [04:48] “The Smithsonian came into his line of sight from a staffer called Lindsey Halligan.”
  — Zachary Small
• [07:30] “Most of them do not have a lot of experience or any experience in the arts, in museum administration, or in history.”
  — Zachary Small, on the Trump-aligned team taking control of cultural institutions
• [09:56] “They are pretty scared. There's a lot of unknown that they're facing in terms of layoffs...”
  — Zachary Small, on cultural institution staffers’ fears

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:02 – Jane's opening and Trump’s Smithsonian critique
• 02:18 – Lindsey Halligan interview clip
• 03:12 – Zachary Small interview begins
  • 03:29 – List of targeted entities
  • 04:22 – Trump’s complaints and Smithsonians’ organizational independence
  • 06:16 – Kennedy Center shakeup and Grenell appointment
  • 07:30 – Who’s actually running these revamped institutions?
  • 08:28 – Ideological spectrum among appointees
  • 09:56 – Staff reactions and morale
• 11:05 – Segment ends
• 14:11 – News round-up: Israel/Gaza, ODNI cuts, English-only policy, tariffs, Texas gerrymandering

Tone and Style

• Jane Coaston’s voice is wry, incisive, and skeptical, calling out the political motives and sometimes the absurdity of the administration’s reasoning.
• Expert commentary is measured and explanatory, with a focus on context and implications.

Takeaway

This episode highlights the Trump administration’s aggressive and ideologically-charged efforts to reframe American cultural memory through direct intervention in museums, arts agencies, and public institutions. The focus is on who’s leading these efforts—rarely arts professionals, often political loyalists or true believers—and the chilling effects on staff, programming, and public narratives. The cultural “edit” extends beyond symbolic gestures, shaping public institutions’ budgets, personnel, and very programming—illustrating in real time what politicized history and culture wars look like at a federal level.