WASHINGTON (AP) — References to President Donald Trump’s two impeachments have been removed from portraits on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the latest apparent change in his accusations of bias in the museum’s collection as he claims influence over how official displays document U.S. history.
The wall text sums up Trump’s first term as president and points to the triumphs of his 2024 comeback and is part of the museum’s “American Presidents” exhibit. The description sits alongside photos taken during Trump’s first term. Now, a different photo has emerged without any accompanying text block, although the text is available online. As seen on Sunday, Trump is the only president whose display in the gallery does not include any extended text.
The White House has not said whether it is seeking any changes. The Smithsonian also did not issue a statement in response to questions from The Associated Press. But Trump ordered in August that Smithsonian officials must review all exhibits before the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The Republican administration said the effort would “ensure compliance with the President’s directives, celebrate American exceptionalism, dismantle divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
The Smithsonian said Trump’s initial “portrait label” was a reference to Trump’s Supreme Court nomination and his administration’s development of a COVID-19 vaccine. The section concludes: “He was twice impeached on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection following the attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters on January 6, 2021, but was acquitted by the Senate in both trials.”
The text then continues: “After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump is making a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president besides Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to win a non-consecutive second term.”
Asked about the display, White House spokesman Davis Ingle praised the new photo, which shows Trump frowning and leaning on his desk in the Oval Office. Ingler said this ensures Trump’s “unparalleled aura … will be felt throughout the halls of the National Portrait Gallery.”
The portrait was taken by White House photographer Daniel Torok, and the exhibit is accompanied by medallions noting Trump as the 45th and 47th president. Similar digital medals appear alongside portraits of other presidents that also include more detailed biographical summaries, such as was part of Trump’s display.
A sitting president is represented by a photograph until an official painting is commissioned.
Ingle did not respond to questions about whether Trump or White House aides representing him requested any information related to the portrait label.
The gallery said in a statement that it had previously rotated two Trump photos from its collection before exhibiting Torok’s work.
“The museum is beginning to plan an update to the Gallery of the Presidents of the United States, with a larger update to follow this spring,” a gallery statement said. “For some new exhibitions and displays, museums have been exploring citation or tombstone labels, which provide only general information, such as the artist’s name.”
Currently, references to Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton’s impeachments in 1868 and 1998, respectively, remain part of their iconography, as does President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal.
And, the gallery’s statement noted, “The history of presidential impeachment continues to be on display in our museums, including the National Museum of American History.”
Trump has made clear he intends to shape how the federal government records American history and culture. He offered a particularly scathing assessment of how the Smithsonian and other museums framed chattel slavery as an important variable in the nation’s development, but also took steps to reshape his image and that of his contemporary rivals.
Months before he ordered a review of the Smithsonian Institution, he fired the National Archives’ chief archivist and said he would fire Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, as part of the overhaul. Saget maintained the support of the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Governors, but she eventually resigned.
At the White House, Trump designed a decidedly partisan and subjective “Presidential Walk of Fame,” featuring gilded photos of himself and his predecessors — except for Biden, who is represented by an automatic pen — and plaques describing their presidencies.
The White House said at the time that Trump himself was the primary author of the plaques. Notably, Trump’s two plaques praised the 45th and 47th presidents as historically successful figures, while Biden’s staff described the 46th president as “by far the worst president in American history” who “brought our country to the brink of destruction.”
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Burrow reported from Atlanta.