President Donald Trump has sparked a major controversy after accusing the Smithsonian Institution of portraying U.S. history in an overly negative light, particularly its emphasis on the horrors of slavery. Trump announced that his administration would launch a sweeping review of the Smithsonian museums, stating they are “out of control” and too focused on “how bad slavery was.”

The president says the initiative mirrors similar efforts he's made to reshape narratives in universities, aiming to make national museums “less woke.” Critics argue this move could lead to dangerous historical revisionism and silence marginalized voices.

Trump rewriting history? | Orders review of Smithsonian over 'negative' focus on slavery

Recently, it was revealed that the National Museum of American History has removed a placard detailing US President Donald Trump's two impeachments. The display, the "impeachment" exhibit, part of the wider exhibit called "The American Presidency", until July 2025 included references to both of Trump's impeachments and now states, “Only three presidents have seriously faced removal.” Reports suggested that the exhibit was taken down, supposedly as part of a content review that the Smithsonian has "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director". However, on Saturday, the Smithsonian, in a post on X, insisted that the move had nothing to do with pressure from the White House.<h2>Cover up or something else? What did the Smithsonian say?</h2>In a statement posted Saturday on X, the Smithsonian said the placard — which had been added to an existing presidential impeachment exhibit — was a temporary addition that "did not meet the museum's standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation." The museum added that "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," it insisted.Despite the current controversy, the Smithsonian says the impeachment exhibit is being revised. The exhibit "will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation's history," it said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As the keeper of memory for the nation, it is our privilege and responsibility to tell accurate and complete histories. As has been recently reported, in July, a placard was removed from <a href="https://twitter.com/amhistorymuseum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@amhistorymuseum</a>’s exhibit “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden.”  The intent of the…&mdash; Smithsonian (@smithsonian) <a href="https://twitter.com/smithsonian/status/1951731040340287902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The response comes two days after The Washington Post reported that the Trump-era placard had quietly disappeared last month, replaced with older signage that referred only to Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton — omitting Trump, who is the only US president to have been impeached twice. It also reported that the museum's parent organisation began reviewing content following tensions with the Trump administration, which recently moved to oust a director of one of the Smithsonian's art museums.<h2>United States' impeached presidents</h2>In the US, four presidents have been impeached:<ul><li>Andrew Johnson in 1868 for violating the Tenure of Office Act—was acquitted by the Senate later.</li><li>Richard Nixon, in 1974, faced impeachment proceedings for his role in the Watergate scandal. However, he resigned before the House could vote on the impeachment motion.</li><li>Bill Clinton in 1998 for the perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky — was acquitted by the Senate later.</li><li>Donald Trump, as mentioned, has been impeached twice. In 2019, he was impeached for abuse of power and for alleged unlawful solicitation from Ukraine. In 2021, he was impeached over the Jan 6 US Capitol insurrection. Both times, he was acquitted by the Senate.</li></ul><h2>Trump rewriting history?</h2>Since his return to the White House, Donald Trump has made multiple attempts to exert influence over American cultural institutions. Since January of this year, he has taken over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, has made drastic changes at the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and has imposed budget cuts on the National Park Service.In March, in an apparent bid to exert influence on the Smithsonian, he signed an executive order to eliminate what he called "anti-American ideology" across the Smithsonian museums and "restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness." He later, without any authority, tried to fire Kim Sajet, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, accusing her of being "a highly partisan" person. To back his attempts, his White House later published a list of 17 instances, including the caption for the museum's presidential portrait for Trump, which mentioned the two impeachments and "incitement of insurrection" for Jan 6.

 Reports suggested that the exhibit was taken down as the Smithsonian "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director". However, on Saturday, the museum insisted that the move had nothing to do with pressure from the White House.

Recently, it was revealed that the National Museum of American History has removed a placard detailing US President Donald Trump's two impeachments. The display, the "impeachment" exhibit, part of the wider exhibit called "The American Presidency", until July 2025 included references to both of Trump's impeachments and now states, “Only three presidents have seriously faced removal.” Reports suggested that the exhibit was taken down, supposedly as part of a content review that the Smithsonian has "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director". However, on Saturday, the Smithsonian, in a post on X, insisted that the move had nothing to do with pressure from the White House. Cover up or something else? What did the Smithsonian say? In a statement posted Saturday on X, the Smithsonian said the placard — which had been added to an existing presidential impeachment exhibit — was a temporary addition that "did not meet the museum's standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation." The museum added that "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," it insisted. Despite the current controversy, the Smithsonian says the impeachment exhibit is being revised. The exhibit "will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation's history," it said.

&nbsp;Reports suggested that the exhibit was taken down as the Smithsonian "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director". However, on Saturday, the museum insisted that the move had nothing to do with pressure from the White House.

Cover up? Smithsonian says Trump impeachment exhibit removal wasn't due to White House pressure

Donald Trump's impeachments have been deleted from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. As per reports, the 47th President of the United States, who happens to be the only POTUS to be impeached twice, has been removed from the "impeachment" exhibit, part of the wider exhibit called "The American Presidency". The display, which until July 2025 included references to both of Trump's impeachments, now states, "Only three presidents have seriously faced removal".<h2>Trump's impeachment display</h2>As per the Washington Post, the exhibit featuring Trump's impeachments has been up since September 2021. However, it has now been taken down, supposedly as part of a content review that the Smithsonian has "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director".While, according to the report, the Smithsonian has said that "a future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments", all except a brief mention of the impeachments is made by the online companion. However, it doesn't provide much information about the cases.

<h2>United States' impeached presidents</h2>In the US, four presidents have been impeached:<ul><li>Andrew Johnson in 1868 for violating the Tenure of Office Act—was acquitted by the Senate later.</li><li>Richard Nixon, in 1974, faced impeachment proceedings for his role in the Watergate scandal. However, he resigned before the House could vote on the impeachment motion.</li><li>Bill Clinton in 1998 for the perjury and obstruction of justice related to his affair with Monica Lewinsky — was acquitted by the Senate later.</li><li>Donald Trump, as mentioned, has been impeached twice. In 2019, he was impeached for abuse of power and for alleged unlawful solicitation from Ukraine. In 2021, he was impeached over the Jan 6 US Capitol insurrection. Both times, he was acquitted by the Senate.</li></ul><h2>Trump rewriting history?</h2>Since his return to the White House, Donald Trump has made multiple attempts to exert influence over American cultural institutions. Since January of this year, he has taken over the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, has made drastic changes at the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and has imposed budget cuts on the National Park Service.In March, in an apparent bid to exert influence on the Smithsonian, he signed an executive order to eliminate what he called "anti-American ideology" across the Smithsonian museums and "restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness." He later, without any authority, tried to fire Kim Sajet, the director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, accusing her of being "a highly partisan" person. To back his attempts, his White House later published a list of 17 instances, including the caption for the museum's presidential portrait for Trump, which mentioned the two impeachments and "incitement of insurrection" for Jan 6.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The exhibit featuring Trump's impeachments has been up since September 2021. However, it has now been taken down, supposedly as part of a content review that the Smithsonian has "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director".

Donald Trump's impeachments have been deleted from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. As per reports, the 47th President of the United States, who happens to be the only POTUS to be impeached twice, has been removed from the "impeachment" exhibit, part of the wider exhibit called "The American Presidency". The display, which until July 2025 included references to both of Trump's impeachments, now states, "Only three presidents have seriously faced removal". Trump's impeachment display As per the Washington Post, the exhibit featuring Trump's impeachments has been up since September 2021. However, it has now been taken down, supposedly as part of a content review that the Smithsonian has "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director". While, according to the report, the Smithsonian has said that "a future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments", all except a brief mention of the impeachments is made by the online companion. However, it doesn't provide much information about the cases.

The exhibit featuring Trump's impeachments has been up since September 2021. However, it has now been taken down, supposedly as part of a content review that the Smithsonian has "agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director".

Trump rewriting history? Smithsonian removes reference to his two impeachments from presidency exhibit

A scent would have lingered in the air at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Virginia if the world's first space-baked cookie that made its debut on Wednesday (May 8) was not enclosed in a case. Crafted from a recipe similar to the DoubleTree by Hilton chocolate chip treats, this cosmic confection has defied the odds by maintaining its aroma even after nearly four and a half years in space.&nbsp;

While lamenting the inability to experience its aroma,&nbsp;Jennifer Levasseur, curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, shared, "I can tell you it does still smell like a baked cookie."

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Preserving the cookie without compromising its quality proved to be a delicate task.

Encased in a nitrogen-filled enclosure, the cookie remained shielded from moisture and potential degradation, ensuring its longevity.

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Levasseur explained, "Because it's in this special enclosure, nobody can smell the cookie now, which is probably for the cookie's benefit because if you were able to smell it that would mean that there might potentially be oxygen penetrating it, and then we'd be going in a direction we don't want to go."&nbsp;

<h2>Cookie's journey&nbsp;</h2>

The cookie's journey began in 2019 with a collaborative effort between Nanoracks (now part of Voyager Space), Hilton, and Zero-G Kitchen to develop an oven suitable for microgravity environments.

After numerous attempts, astronauts finally achieved the perfect cookie texture aboard the International Space Station.

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Returning to Earth in early 2020, the cookie underwent careful preservation procedures before finding its current home at the Smithsonian.

"We needed to defrost it," said Levasseur.

"So the conservation team did some experiments ahead of time, re-making the recipe and then testing for how long they would need to desiccate it and under what conditions would we need to store it so that we would never have to worry about mold becoming an issue."

"It will reside next to other items related to food consumption inside our recreation of the [International Space Station's] Destiny laboratory module," Levasseur added.

(With inputs from agencies)

A scent would have lingered in the air at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Virginia if the world's first space-baked cookie that made its debut on Wednesday (May 8) was not enclosed in a case.

A scent would have lingered in the air at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Virginia if the world's first space-baked cookie that made its debut on Wednesday (May 8) was not enclosed in a case. Crafted from a recipe similar to the DoubleTree by Hilton chocolate chip treats, this cosmic confection has defied the odds by maintaining its aroma even after nearly four and a half years in space. While lamenting the inability to experience its aroma, Jennifer Levasseur, curator at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, shared, "I can tell you it does still smell like a baked cookie." Also Read | NASA contractor warns of 'disaster on launchpad' during second Starliner launch attempt Preserving the cookie without compromising its quality proved to be a delicate task. Encased in a nitrogen-filled enclosure, the cookie remained shielded from moisture and potential degradation, ensuring its longevity. Also Read | A tiny section of human brain reveals astounding 57,000 cells, 150mn neural connections Levasseur explained, "Because it's in this special enclosure, nobody can smell the cookie now, which is probably for the cookie's benefit because if you were able to smell it that would mean that there might potentially be oxygen penetrating it, and then we'd be going in a direction we don't want to go." Cookie's journey The cookie's journey began in 2019 with a collaborative effort between Nanoracks (now part of Voyager Space), Hilton, and Zero-G Kitchen to develop an oven suitable for microgravity environments. After numerous attempts, astronauts finally achieved the perfect cookie texture aboard the International Space Station. Watch | Everest faces the challenge of overcrowding, commercialisation hits Mount Everest hard × Returning to Earth in early 2020, the cookie underwent careful preservation procedures before finding its current home at the Smithsonian. "We needed to defrost it," said Levasseur. "So the conservation team did some experiments ahead of time, re-making the recipe and then testing for how long they would need to desiccate it and under what conditions would we need to store it so that we would never have to worry about mold becoming an issue." "It will reside next to other items related to food consumption inside our recreation of the [International Space Station's] Destiny laboratory module," Levasseur added. (With inputs from agencies)

Space cookie still smells fresh after four years. Know how

Scientists in the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard University have discovered a ''nemesis'' of the Sun.

The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, provides evidence that all stars are born in pairs.

According to astronomer Steven Stahler, "We ran a series of statistical models to see if we could account for the relative populations of young single stars and binaries of all separations in the Perseus molecular cloud, and the only model that could reproduce the data was one in which all stars form initially as wide binaries."

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"Our work is a step forward in understanding both how binaries form and also the role that binaries play in early stellar evolution," he added.

Nemesis had kicked an asteroid into Earth’s orbit that collided with our planet and exterminated the dinosaurs.&nbsp;

The sun’s sibling most likely escaped and mixed with all the other stars in our region of the Milky Way galaxy, never to be seen again.

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The sun appears to be far less active than similar stars in terms of brightness variations caused by sunspots and other phenomena.

An examination of 369 stars similar to the sun in surface temperatures, size, and rotation period,&nbsp;it takes the sun about 25&nbsp;days to rotate once on its axis, showed that they displayed on average five times more brightness variability than the sun.

Radio waves from a dense cocoon of dust that is located 600-light years ago were mapped out by researchers in a survey called the VLA nascent disk and multiplicity survey (VANDAM).

“The key here is that no one looked before in a systematic way at the relation of real young stars to the clouds that spawn them,” Stahler said.

“Our work is a step forward in understanding both how binaries form and also the role that binaries play in early stellar evolution. We now believe that most stars, which are quite similar to our own sun, form as binaries. I think we have the strongest evidence to date for such an assertion.”

The sun - essentially a hot ball of hydrogen and helium - is an average-sized star that formed more than 4.5 billion years ago and is roughly halfway through its lifespan. Its diameter is about 864,000 miles (1.4 million km). Its surface temperature is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius).

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Scientists in the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard University have discovered a ''nemesis'' of the Sun. The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, provides evidence that all stars are born in pairs.

Scientists in the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory at Harvard University have discovered a ''nemesis'' of the Sun. The study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, provides evidence that all stars are born in pairs. According to astronomer Steven Stahler, "We ran a series of statistical models to see if we could account for the relative populations of young single stars and binaries of all separations in the Perseus molecular cloud, and the only model that could reproduce the data was one in which all stars form initially as wide binaries." Also read | Inclusive outer space: First disabled crew takes flight in zero gravity "Our work is a step forward in understanding both how binaries form and also the role that binaries play in early stellar evolution," he added. Nemesis had kicked an asteroid into Earth’s orbit that collided with our planet and exterminated the dinosaurs. The sun’s sibling most likely escaped and mixed with all the other stars in our region of the Milky Way galaxy, never to be seen again. Also read | Roscosmos says International Space Station swerves to dodge fragment of US rocket The sun appears to be far less active than similar stars in terms of brightness variations caused by sunspots and other phenomena. An examination of 369 stars similar to the sun in surface temperatures, size, and rotation period, it takes the sun about 25 days to rotate once on its axis, showed that they displayed on average five times more brightness variability than the sun. Radio waves from a dense cocoon of dust that is located 600-light years ago were mapped out by researchers in a survey called the VLA nascent disk and multiplicity survey (VANDAM). “The key here is that no one looked before in a systematic way at the relation of real young stars to the clouds that spawn them,” Stahler said. “Our work is a step forward in understanding both how binaries form and also the role that binaries play in early stellar evolution. We now believe that most stars, which are quite similar to our own sun, form as binaries. I think we have the strongest evidence to date for such an assertion.” The sun - essentially a hot ball of hydrogen and helium - is an average-sized star that formed more than 4.5 billion years ago and is roughly halfway through its lifespan. Its diameter is about 864,000 miles (1.4 million km). Its surface temperature is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius). (With inputs from agencies)

Astronomers discover trouble-making 'nemesis' twin of the Sun

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Trump rewriting history? | Orders review of Smithsonian over 'negative' focus on slavery

Cover up? Smithsonian says Trump exhibit not removed over White House pressure

Trump rewrites history? Smithsonian axes impeachments from presidency exhibit

Space cookie still smells fresh after four years. Know how

Astronomers discover trouble-making 'nemesis' twin of the Sun