Demonstrators pass the National Museum of African American History and Culture on May 3, protesting the Trump administration’s executive actions aimed at the Smithsonian. (Photo by Craig Hudson/For The Washington Post)

President Donald Trump’s threats this week to unleash his attorneys on the Smithsonian — which he called “out of control” and accused of dwelling too much on slavery – have sharpened concerns about what more he plans for an institution already subject to a sweeping White House review.

In a post on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon, Trump said the Smithsonian Institution focused too much on “how bad Slavery was” and called museums, “essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’”

The White House last week announced a more aggressive review of the Smithsonian’s content, starting with eight museums. Trump offered slightly more detail in Tuesday’s post, saying he had “instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.”

“The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future,” Trump’s post said.

A White House official did not offer more detail on the attorneys’ review but told The Washington Post that “President Trump will explore all options and avenues to get the Woke out of the Smithsonian and hold them accountable.” A spokesperson for the Smithsonian declined to comment on Trump’s post.

Trump’s pointing to his attorneys could mean he is focusing on changes to the Smithsonian’s organization rather than funding, despite its being outside his purview, according to Andy Finch, director of policy for the Association of Art Museum Directors, which lists some Smithsonian directors among its members.

An exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2023. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

The White House’s first March order on the Smithsonian called on White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan and Vice President JD Vance, who is on the institution’s board, to scrutinize “improper ideology” there. Last week’s letter detailing the review was signed by Halligan, Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Hale and Office of Management and Budget chief Russell Vought.

The institution is already conducting its own content review, launched by the Board of Regents after a leadership standoff between the Smithsonian and the White House that resulted in the resignation of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet.

The president signaled his interest in applying tactics from his pressure campaign on universities, some of which have reached settlements over withheld federal funds. But public and private universities, the nation’s museums and the Smithsonian are funded by different means.

The Trump administration has already applied pressure on museums through the executive branch. Cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities have disrupted planning and programs at institutions across the country, including those focused on Black history and culture. (In May a judge paused the dissolution of the IMLS, which according to court documents has reinstated grants in 21 states that sued the administration.)

The Smithsonian, meanwhile, is overseen by Congress but is not a traditional government agency. It receives about 62 percent of its funding from congressional appropriations, with the remaining share coming from trust funds, donations and endowments. The federal money pays for operations, infrastructure and collection maintenance, while exhibitions are generally funded by private donations.

The Smithsonian’s collections and 21 museums include a vast range of information about the country, including scientific discoveries, social movements and economic achievements.

Trump’s comments on slavery sharpened what subjects his administration considers off-limits.

“President Trump’s claim that the Smithsonian is ‘out of control’ and fixated on ‘how bad slavery was’ simply reflects this White House’s broader agenda to control the history of America and sanitize it for political gain. This is executive overreach masquerading as patriotic renewal,” said Beth English, executive director of the Organization of American Historians.

“Evidence-based exhibits on slavery, civil rights, and other aspects of our country’s history are explorations of a shared past that the administration is labelling as ‘woke’ to stifle any public discussion of what our understanding of this history means for Americans today,” English continued. “What we’re really seeing in those exhibits is a museum system growing in honesty and complexity, as historians explore new sources and approaches that expand and enrich our understanding of history.”

In recent weeks, several arts and historical organizations have publicly condemned political interference at the Smithsonian.

“Museums’ role is to tell the full story of America-our triumphs and our struggles,” the American Alliance of Museums said in a statement. “When we confront difficult chapters of history alongside our greatest achievements, we gain a deeper understanding of who we are as a nation. American exceptionalism is rooted in growth, triumph, and progress, and we can’t fully understand it without also reckoning with our history and origins.”

Suse Anderson, associate professor and head of museum studies at George Washington University, said the administration’s attack on the Smithsonian underscores the stakes of the institution’s role in civic engagement and democracy.

“Across the Institution, the highly trained professionals at the Smithsonian use the nation’s collections to tell a more complete American story – not just one that favors a narrow view of history,” she said. “Any political interference with that work has perilous ramifications for our shared understanding of the past and our shared imagining of the future, and it should be treated with alarm.”