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The American president attacks the Smithsonian Institution, which brings together museums, libraries and a prestigious zoo. He wants to purge the structure of all “inappropriate ideology”.
It’s the turn of animals to be at the heart of Donald Trump’s “anti-woke” policy. On March 28, 2025, the American president instructed his vice-president JD Vance with an unusual mission: “clean” the Smithsonian institution of all “inappropriate ideology”, indicates The Atlantic. This federal directive includes not only museums, libraries and research centers, but also the famous National Washington Zoo.
The Smithsonian is a vast cultural and scientific complex founded in 1846, known to the general public for its presence in films at night at the museum. Instructions are clear for other institutions, such as the National Museum of American History or that devoted to African-American history, which will have to get rid of any “cleavage ideology” or “centered on race” to replace it with content capable of “inspiring pride in the hearts of all Americans”.
What does Trump blame the zoo?
No details in the decree are given on the exact nature of the changes envisaged for the zoo. A journalist from The Atlantic spotted several panels that could be in the viewfinder of the administration. In the enclosure of turkeys, a message evokes hunting practices respectful of the indigenous populations, opposed to those of European colonists, who almost caused the extinction of the species. But in reality, the zoo is far from being a militant bastion. Speeches are measured and books in stores remain neutral. If the guidelines remain unclear, the zoo should continue to attract thousands of visitors each year.
