Vance Plans to Remove ‘Improper Ideology’ from the Smithsonian
The project provides the vice president with a chance to advance his long-standing campaign against progressive principles.
TroibNews 
Vice President JD Vance has a new role: working to eliminate what the White House deems “improper ideology” from the Smithsonian, a position that enables him to dismiss the progressive concepts he has criticized long before his election to public office.
As a board member of the museum network, Vance has been assigned to reduce funding for exhibitions or programs that promote “ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.” This includes acknowledging trans individuals, “degrading shared American values,” or “dividing Americans based on race,” as outlined in a recent executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
This task is part of the increasing responsibilities for Vance, who has also been directed by Trump to help negotiate a TikTok deal and advocate for contentious nominations in the Senate, serving predominantly as a key communicator and advocate of the America First movement. Although the Smithsonian initiative may be a smaller matter for Vance, it presents him with an opportunity to advance his long-standing campaign against progressive ideologies.
The Smithsonian Institution did not reply to a request for comment.
Vance has maintained for years that progressive beliefs—especially those asserting that systemic racism is foundational to the U.S.—undermine national pride and lead to stagnation and despair among Americans.
“It’s not about correcting systemic racism or systemic wrong, it’s about making us easier to control, it’s about making us ashamed of where we came from,” Vance remarked in a September 2021 address, before he was sworn in as a senator, regarding what he perceives as an American “civilizational crisis.”
In his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” published in 2016, which brought him into the national spotlight, Vance noted that the erosion of patriotism in the U.S. resembled “losing something akin to a religion” for many in his Appalachian and Rust Belt communities.
“The tie that bound them to their neighbors, that inspired them in the way my patriotism had always inspired me, had seemingly vanished,” Vance wrote.
In the following years, as Vance transitioned from being a critic of Trump to an advocate of the America First movement and a Senate candidate, he increasingly attributed the decline of patriotism to ideologies like Critical Race Theory, which he argued were developed in liberal universities and permeated the broader culture.
“So often, the systemic racism conversation is a distraction,” Vance expressed on Fox News in April 2021. During a speech later that year in November, he condemned universities for misrepresenting the U.S. as “an evil and terrible place.” He declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are giving our children over to our enemies and it’s time we stop doing it.”
This approach has resonated with many Republicans, and in recent years, the Smithsonian has faced scrutiny from the party. In 2023, amidst disputes over what lawmakers deemed “culture war” provisions in government spending bills, the House sought to cut funding for the Smithsonian’s planned National Museum of the American Latino, arguing that an earlier exhibit portrayed Hispanic individuals as “victims.”
In January, the Smithsonian, primarily staffed by federal workers and funded through federal appropriations, opted to close its diversity office and halt federal hiring.
On Friday, Republican leaders praised Trump's executive order. “Who else wants the Smithsonian Institution to stop being woke?” asked Sen. Mike Lee on X.
“President Trump is restoring patriotism and pride in American history to our greatest public museums and protecting taxpayers from having their money wasted on divisive ideologies,” Vance’s press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, stated to PMG.
However, Democrats expressed concern that this action represents an attempt to further control a significant institution that plays a vital role in knowledge dissemination within the country. Trump's administration has previously exerted pressure on universities nationwide, targeting those alleged to endorse liberal ideologies with severe funding cuts.
“The Smithsonian has been preserving and sharing the American story for over 175 years, and I’ll continue to support the independence of this critical institution,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who also serves on the Smithsonian board alongside Vance.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
As a board member of the museum network, Vance has been assigned to reduce funding for exhibitions or programs that promote “ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.” This includes acknowledging trans individuals, “degrading shared American values,” or “dividing Americans based on race,” as outlined in a recent executive order signed by former President Donald Trump.
This task is part of the increasing responsibilities for Vance, who has also been directed by Trump to help negotiate a TikTok deal and advocate for contentious nominations in the Senate, serving predominantly as a key communicator and advocate of the America First movement. Although the Smithsonian initiative may be a smaller matter for Vance, it presents him with an opportunity to advance his long-standing campaign against progressive ideologies.
The Smithsonian Institution did not reply to a request for comment.
Vance has maintained for years that progressive beliefs—especially those asserting that systemic racism is foundational to the U.S.—undermine national pride and lead to stagnation and despair among Americans.
“It’s not about correcting systemic racism or systemic wrong, it’s about making us easier to control, it’s about making us ashamed of where we came from,” Vance remarked in a September 2021 address, before he was sworn in as a senator, regarding what he perceives as an American “civilizational crisis.”
In his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” published in 2016, which brought him into the national spotlight, Vance noted that the erosion of patriotism in the U.S. resembled “losing something akin to a religion” for many in his Appalachian and Rust Belt communities.
“The tie that bound them to their neighbors, that inspired them in the way my patriotism had always inspired me, had seemingly vanished,” Vance wrote.
In the following years, as Vance transitioned from being a critic of Trump to an advocate of the America First movement and a Senate candidate, he increasingly attributed the decline of patriotism to ideologies like Critical Race Theory, which he argued were developed in liberal universities and permeated the broader culture.
“So often, the systemic racism conversation is a distraction,” Vance expressed on Fox News in April 2021. During a speech later that year in November, he condemned universities for misrepresenting the U.S. as “an evil and terrible place.” He declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are giving our children over to our enemies and it’s time we stop doing it.”
This approach has resonated with many Republicans, and in recent years, the Smithsonian has faced scrutiny from the party. In 2023, amidst disputes over what lawmakers deemed “culture war” provisions in government spending bills, the House sought to cut funding for the Smithsonian’s planned National Museum of the American Latino, arguing that an earlier exhibit portrayed Hispanic individuals as “victims.”
In January, the Smithsonian, primarily staffed by federal workers and funded through federal appropriations, opted to close its diversity office and halt federal hiring.
On Friday, Republican leaders praised Trump's executive order. “Who else wants the Smithsonian Institution to stop being woke?” asked Sen. Mike Lee on X.
“President Trump is restoring patriotism and pride in American history to our greatest public museums and protecting taxpayers from having their money wasted on divisive ideologies,” Vance’s press secretary, Taylor Van Kirk, stated to PMG.
However, Democrats expressed concern that this action represents an attempt to further control a significant institution that plays a vital role in knowledge dissemination within the country. Trump's administration has previously exerted pressure on universities nationwide, targeting those alleged to endorse liberal ideologies with severe funding cuts.
“The Smithsonian has been preserving and sharing the American story for over 175 years, and I’ll continue to support the independence of this critical institution,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who also serves on the Smithsonian board alongside Vance.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
