Smithsonian chief to retire amid Trump pressure

Smithsonian Institution secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III said Tuesday that he will retire by the end of 2026, as President Donald Trump seeks to reshape the museum and research complex.

Bunch, 73, has led the Smithsonian since June 2019. He was the first Black person and the first historian to hold the role, and has worked at the institution for nearly 38 years.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who serves as Smithsonian chancellor, praised Bunch's service and said he had pursued excellence in telling the nation's story.

Trump and Republicans in Congress have accused the Smithsonian of promoting liberal “woke” ideology. A White House report accused Smithsonian leadership of denigrating and displacing whites, males, Christians and Americans in educational materials and programming.

In July, Trump ordered signage near the National Museum of American History warning visitors about “ideological capture.” On August 28, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House domestic policy chief Vince Haley sent a letter to the Smithsonian's board of regents seeking a meeting over accusations of “radical ideology” and saying the government could not continue to support the Smithsonian under current leadership.

The Smithsonian was created by the federal government in 1846 but operates outside any branch of government.