Smithsonian head Lonnie Bunch to retire amid Trump administration effort to reshape institution

Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA

Lonnie Bunch III said Tuesday that he will retire as the head of the Smithsonian Institution, a role that placed him at the center of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the world’s largest museum organization.

Bunch said in multiple interviews that his retirement was not related to pressure from the Trump administration for changes to the institution.

“For, I don’t know, 45 years, work has taken precedence over family, and I just said at 73, enough’s enough,” Bunch told the Washington Post . “There’s never a good time, but I think the key is I want to be able to have as many years as I can with the family and the grandkids.”

It still comes as the Trump administration has increased pressure on the institution, including saying in an August 28 letter that federal agencies may stop working with the Smithsonian if its leadership does not change. The letter cited an earlier report that accused the Smithsonian of moving “toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.”

Bunch had defended the institution’s independence amid the administration’s intense scrutiny and efforts to assert control over the 180-year-old institution’s content. However, he has also tread a fine political line, complying with the White House’s request to hand over extensive documents about museum exhibitions.

In a July interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Bunch said, “It’s our job to tell an accurate, complex and truthful history.”

Al Drago for The Washington Post/Getty Images

However, Trump has taken issue with the Smithsonian’s telling of the past, describing it as “woke” and tasking aides with rooting out what he considers a rewriting of American history at the museums. For example, in a July executive order, the president directed the National Park Service to install temporary signage near the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, warning of “inaccurate information.”

The Smithsonian Board of Regents will choose the next secretary. The board’s members include Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Some members of the public are also part of the board, and Trump signed an executive order last year directing Vance to seek the appointment of public members who are aligned with his priorities for the institution.

CNN’s René Marsh, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Michael Williams contributed to this report.

格雷姆·斯隆/Sipa USA

朗尼·邦奇三世周二表示，他将卸任史密森学会主席一职。这一职位使他成为唐纳德·特朗普总统重塑世界最大博物馆组织的核心人物。

邦奇在多次采访中表示，他的退休与特朗普政府施压要求对该机构进行改革无关。

“我不知道，45年来，工作一直比家庭更重要，我73岁了，就觉得够了，”邦奇告诉《华盛顿邮报》。“从来没有所谓‘合适’的时机，但我认为关键是，我希望能够尽可能多地陪伴家人和孙辈。”

尽管如此，特朗普政府仍在加大对该机构的压力，包括在8月28日的一封信中表示，如果史密森学会的领导层不更换，联邦机构可能会停止与其合作。这封信援引了早前的一份报告，该报告指责史密森学会“走向极端政治活动，试图改变我们的国家”。

在政府严密审查和试图控制这家拥有180年历史的机构的内容之际，邦奇一直捍卫着该机构的独立性。然而，他也小心翼翼地走在政治边缘，配合白宫的要求，交出了大量关于博物馆展览的文件。

在 7 月接受 CNN 记者 Christiane Amanpour 的采访时，邦奇表示：“我们的工作是讲述一个准确、复杂且真实的历史。”

Al Drago（图片来源：《华盛顿邮报》/Getty Images）

然而，特朗普对史密森尼博物馆讲述历史的方式颇有微词，称其“觉醒”，并指示助手清除他认为博物馆中篡改美国历史的内容。例如，在7月份的一项行政命令中，总统指示国家公园管理局在史密森尼美国国家历史博物馆附近设置临时标牌，警告公众注意“不准确的信息”。

史密森学会理事会将选出下一任秘书长。理事会成员包括副总统JD·万斯、最高法院首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨以及共和党和民主党议员。理事会也包含一些公众成员。去年，特朗普签署了一项行政命令，指示万斯任命与他对该机构发展方向一致的公众成员。

CNN的René Marsh、Piper Hudspeth Blackburn和Michael Williams对本报道亦有贡献。