Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Chris Stein in Washington

Smithsonian Institution secretary to retire amid Trump attacks on museum independence

a man speaks into a microphone
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lonnie Bunch III, speaks at a gala celebrating the centennial of the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC on 11 May 2023. Photograph: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Smithsonian Institution’s secretary, Lonnie Bunch III, will retire at the end of the year amid Donald Trump’s attacks on the museum’s content and independence.

Bunch, who was appointed in 2019 as the first African American to lead the museums, cited personal reasons for departing, while acknowledging the pressure that the president’s attacks on the Smithsonian’s depictions of US history had taken.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.