Smithsonian Under Siege
The Third Pillar of America’s Cultural Trinity Faces a Reckoning
Any analysis of the Trump-era pressure on the Kennedy Center, NPR, and PBS must recognize that the Smithsonian Institution represents the third pillar of the American cultural trinity now under siege from the same populist, anti-establishment political movement.
In a political climate where elite knowledge, artistic expression, and historical accountability are increasingly suspect, America’s great national museum system, long viewed as apolitical and accessible, is being drawn into the partisan vortex.
This is not merely a budget line skirmish. It’s a test of whether the United States still values shared civic memory, scientific inquiry, and cultural pluralism in an age of hyper-polarization.
Targeted by the Trump Agenda
President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” does not spare the Smithsonian. Repeated White House budgets since 2017 have proposed significant cuts to the Institution, despite its minimal partisan footprint. More recently, the MAGA-aligned right has honed its attacks on three fronts:
Equity-Oriented Museums like the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the soon-to-open National Museum of the American Latino.
Environmental and Scientific Research, including Smithsonian-led studies on climate change and biodiversity.
Cultural Storytelling that includes race, gender, or immigration narratives is accused of "wokeness" even when grounded in peer-reviewed scholarship.
Like NPR and PBS, the Smithsonian is being lumped into the category of publicly funded "liberal elites" and subjected to budgetary punishment and rhetorical disdain.
Why the Smithsonian Matters More Than Ever
Founded in 1846 with James Smithson’s bequest for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge,” the Smithsonian belongs not to Washington, but to all Americans. Its significance is both symbolic and functional:
It is the largest museum and research complex in the world, welcoming over 20 million visitors annually (pre-pandemic) at no cost.
It preserves America’s most iconic artifacts: the Star-Spangled Banner, the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, and the Apollo 11 Command Module.
It champions truth in a post-truth era, through fact-based exhibits, open-access research, and broad educational initiatives.
In a time when social cohesion is fracturing, the Smithsonian remains a place where Americans from every background can encounter their country’s contradictions and its promise, all free of charge and without propaganda.
The Financial Fragility Beneath the Grandeur
Though federally funded, the Smithsonian faces a perilous model:
$1.2 billion annually comes from Congress, covering core operations.
Another $300 - $500 million must be raised privately each year for exhibitions, capital projects, digital expansion, and scientific research.
Political instability threatens not only direct funding but donor confidence, especially from foundations wary of ideological backlash.
This mirrors the pressure cooker faced by the Kennedy Center, PBS, and NPR - institutions now forced to replace federal reliability with philanthropic agility.
Solutions from the Field of Generosity
To weather this cultural siege, the Smithsonian must evolve, not into something partisan, but into something resilient. Here’s how:
Launch a Smithsonian Resilience Fund
Major donors and foundations can step up to create a contingency endowment that insulates the Institution from congressional volatility.
Naming opportunities, legacy donor walls, and honorary trusteeships could be expanded to court generational wealth donors.
Expand Public-Private-Philanthropic Partnerships (P4)
Collaborate with companies like Apple, Google, and Netflix to digitize exhibits, stream content, and develop immersive AR/VR experiences.
License archival content for educational tools, media products, and international diplomacy initiatives.
Double Down on National Relevance
Develop mobile and pop-up exhibits that tour underserved areas across red, blue, and purple America.
Launch a campaign titled “We the People’s Smithsonian,” emphasizing nonpartisan civic education.
Broaden curriculum-aligned digital tools for rural and homeschool networks.
Reinforce the Brand of Shared American Identity
Just as the Kennedy Center has redefined performance as a form of patriotism, and PBS continues to frame knowledge as a civic virtue, the Smithsonian must assert its identity as a custodian of the national soul.
The Cost of Losing It
If defunded or politically neutered, the Smithsonian would face delayed exhibit openings, halted research, cancelled conservation efforts, and loss of world-class talent. But more profoundly, Americans would lose a neutral ground where history, science, and culture meet the public square.
In an age when partisans are rewriting textbooks and erasing uncomfortable facts, the Smithsonian remains one of the last bastions of historical integrity and national curiosity.
What Can Be Done
For Philanthropists:
Fund specific exhibits or research programs endangered by federal gridlock.
Support the creation of a Generosity Institute at the Smithsonian, dedicated to teaching philanthropic history and civic giving.
For Policymakers:
Reinforce the apolitical mandate of the Smithsonian through legislation that protects curatorial independence and research integrity.
Establish bipartisan “Smithsonian Caucuses” in both chambers of Congress to champion its value.
For the Public:
Join Friends of the Smithsonian or become a museum patron.
Visit and share why the Smithsonian matters.
Defend its relevance, publicly and privately, before it becomes another casualty of the culture wars.
Final Thought
To abandon the Smithsonian to political turbulence is to abandon something far greater than a museum complex. It is to give up on the American experiment as a shared and evolving story.
The Kennedy Center, NPR, and PBS are all embattled. But if we let the Smithsonian fall next, we will have lost the front porch of our national memory.
Let’s not let that happen.
To learn more about the Smithsonian, visit their website | SI.edu
To learn more about the Smithsonian’s finances visit | ProPublica
