In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called for a review of Smithsonian Institutions museums, criticising their portrayal of US history as “horrible” and saying they focus too much on “how bad slavery was.” The White House says it anticipates completing its review process early in 2026, ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The BBC went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC to ask visitors what they made of the president’s comments and their experience of the exhibits inside.
Video filmed by Meiying Wu and Jason Aldag
Produced by Alex Foster