NEW: Inside the culture of fear that has taken hold within Smithsonian museums in D.C., as White House officials wage an authoritarian-style censorship campaign to “ensure alignment” with Trump’s preferred version of American history.

"Everyone is so scared."
www.huffpost.com/entry/smithsonian-staff-scared-trump-censorship-art-history_n_689bb490e4b09184403f36c0?w1e

August 14, 2025 - 16:55 UTC

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Only the best, most incredible history for us.
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Has anybody asked Joe Biden what he thinks about this?

You know, the man most responsible for Trump's return to office.
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The only meaningful response to fear is defiance.
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Why don't any of you people call him out on his bullshit? You just sit there and let him tell these lies and nobody stands up nobody has balls.
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They need to stop being so damn scared and fight! I’m so sick of hearing this. The Board need to find their balls, grab them and get in the fight!
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#Smithsonian don’t be afraid! Fear doesn’t help and it immobilizes you. Be the #fierce warriors for truth your country needs you to be. Take pictures of exhibits as they change for future exhibits. back everything up! Host flash TikTok contests! If you need visitor praise for amazing works , ask!
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They’d be better off refusing the funding. I thought all republicans went to the religious dinosaur park for entertainment anyway.
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Oh, FFS, Smithsonian, stop being scared and grow some 'nads. This is for real and if you capitulate, you screw us all.
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Don’t get scared, get even. Free your power.
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It's Lesson 1.
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The phrases "ensure alignment" and "aligned with the President's agenda" are euphemisms this administration uses when they mean loyalty to Trump personally.
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The "message from on high" that instructs employees to keep their mouth shut if they care about the museums and staff is so manipulative.
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“Trumps preferred version of American history” is not history at all. Quit being fckn “fearful “ and stand up!!
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These people need to grow spines. Trump is the world’s weakest bully.
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Time for us all to visit the museums, take as many photos as we can (especially of text), and tell any and all staff we appreciate them and are with them.
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They’re going to need to keep all of the “objectionable pieces” somewhere else like in Philadelphia🔔 where sanity still rules the day
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That’s the strategy: Hide it in the archives in the archives and deep storage for safekeeping until he’s gone. And pretend to go along with everything with Byzantine committees, process, and bureaucracy to slow it down until something else catches his attention. Starve him of scary headlines!
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I’m glad I was fortunate enough to visit the Smithsonian Museums when they were real. I hope there are people archiving everything they can.
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Exactly what Trump wants. Us to fear him. Comply in advance.
Unfortunately,we’re all going to have to step up to defend ourselves, democracy, our country. This is not a battle that we will have the military on the front lines except maybe against us - which I believe that Posse Comitatus stuff….
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OK, Smithsonian workers. You’re scared. I am too. But do the right thing and don’t comply anyway. Compliance won’t really save you anyway, so you might as well stand up and defy the fascists.
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en.wikisource.org/wiki/Simple_Sabotage_Field_Manual
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Everything these people love about this institution is threatened. At this point, fear should be replaced with moral certainty and resolve. There is nothing to be lost. Stand for truth in the face of this attack on it. All they can do is fire you.
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But if you help them succeed in destroying the truth that the Institute is charged with preserving and making available to the public, you don’t have the job you love anyway. So fuck it. Stand up for it. Malicious compliance or obstruction.
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try fighting
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DC needs these museums for tourism and prestige. They have more power than they think. But it actually requires having a vision, and a plan to make up lost revenue if federal funding is withheld for standing up to this regime.
Cut hours. Court international support. Go big in the face of fascism.
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The Smithsonian's endowment is around $2.4 billion. So, I think they will be okay standing up to Nazis.
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WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF??

If you know something is wrong say something...have some values to stand on

If they fire you so what at least you said something.

Afraid of who??? Fuck trump
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Can I buy those stencils somewhere?
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Does no one ever invoke the First Amendment anymore? It exists for our protection, not so the government mussel us.
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You have the backing of so many Americans. Do what you can, we've got you. God Bless.
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Channel the fear Smithsonian, fight back. Fascism will not succeed
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Document EVERYTHING. Photograph EVERYTHING. Note as much as is possible. So it can be put back after he dies, is jailed, or self-deports and takes his crime family with him.
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"preferred version" being the one that has no actual relationship with actual history OFC...
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Staff are self-censoring art and history content they fear could upset Trump.

Volunteers are angry and mulling quitting. (They work for free!)

Workers repeatedly told not to speak to press.

The Smithsonian's strategy is to lay low and ride out this storm, except Trump is already forcing changes.
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A volunteer at one Smithsonian museum said colleagues often air their concerns in break rooms about what Trump is doing to the museums, and “the 1930s” is a common refrain, referring to the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.
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They are. My friends who work there are not and keep getting into arguments with their colleagues over it.
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Huffpost reporting fail. Stop fear mongering.
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And that’s America’s problem in a nutshell - too many of you respond with fear rather than anger
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malicious compliance or quit

anything you think you have to lose is already lost

the only choice is whether you make it mean something with the time you have
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You can lose a job. Set up a GoFundMe and quit. The money will be there.
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This is a farce. Who cares what Trump thinks. He insane, an idiot, a ranting, raving, bloviating FELON-PEDO. If I worked at the Smithsonian& had to take displays down, I be damn sure they were secured, safe & kept where no one would find them. When Trump is gone, they can be brought back to display
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“Just say no. “
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Thank you for sharing.
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