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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTop Trump aide: Who really cares about slavery?
A senior White House official thinks the Smithsonian museums are way too caught up on that whole slavery thing.
During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News, White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan discussed President Donald Trumps push to make the renowned museums parrot his racist, revisionist history of the United States. After conceding slavery was awful, she quickly pivoted to underplaying it and chastising the museum.
What I saw when I was going through the museums personally was an overemphasis on slavery. And I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we've come since slavery, Halligan said. Our country is a country of progress, and it's the greatest country in the world. And we should be able to take our kids, our students, through the Smithsonian and feel proud when we leave. There's a lot of history to our country, both positive and negative. But we need to keep moving forward. We can't just keep focusing on the negative.
Halligan's "Don't Worry Be Happy"-style monologue echoes her boss insane remarks on social media, criticizing the Smithsonian for being WOKE and overly focused on how bad Slavery was. In July, the Smithsonians National Museum of American History briefly scrubbed mentions of Trumps first two impeachments from an exhibit on presidential impeachments and resignations, though it later added them back in a strongly modified form.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/20/2339391/-Top-Trump-aide-Who-really-cares-about-slavery
Apparently, this woman doesn't realize we can do both.

rickyhall
(5,483 posts)mdbl
(7,228 posts)Since they are trying to make slaves out of everyone.
mjvpi
(1,766 posts)Slavery
Our treatment of our First Nations
Our issues with labor
General ongoing racism
Wealth inequality
In general is fairly logical. My kids high school used Howard Zions American History book. Making the reality of America match the hype takes vigilance and time.
mjvpi
(1,766 posts)Jimvanhise
(499 posts)The Smithsonian has at least 200 exhibits. Two of them are about slavery. I'm sure Trump never visited the Smithsonian and I question whether his "special assistant" did more than just peek inside.
Kid Berwyn
(21,871 posts)She was much younger then, of course.
MineralMan
(149,681 posts)with ancestors who were enslaved people. They want their children to see history as it IS, not as blue-eyed blonde ladies see it. They also go to the Smithsonian museums. Educate yourself, Ms. Halligan. Open your eyes to the truth of our history. It might do you some good.
Grow up!