‘Who wants to sign up to deal with the political pressure?’: Smithsonian faces Trump’s culture war as search for leader is on

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As the Smithsonian Institution prepares to launch a nationwide search for a new leader, an unexpected question mark hangs over the position that’s long been considered a plum one in the worlds of art, science and history.

“Who wants to sign up to deal with the political pressure?” one person close to the Smithsonian Board of Regents board told CNN.

The search is one of the most consequential in decades, coming at a time of great turmoil.

The storied institution is squarely in the crosshairs of a culture war pushed by President Donald Trump, whose administration this week revealed how it plans to install signs outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to “correct” allegedly inaccurate and “woke” information in the exhibits.

And the leadership vacuum created by the upcoming departure of longtime Secretary Lonnie Bunch III extends to the Smithsonian board where vacancies are mounting – raising fears that Trump may try to influence the process to stack the governing body with his allies.

In this moment of unusual political maneuvering, some are looking to Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, who has served as chancellor of the Smithsonian since 2005, as a steady hand. But those who know Roberts say it’s unlikely he would be an outspoken advocate for any particular outcome. Instead, they expect he’ll work behind the scenes to ensure that process is followed.

In previous searches for the Smithsonian’s secretary, discussions often centered on management experience, museum leadership and scholarship. Now, some sources familiar with the process say, political savvy might be just as important as museum credentials.

Besides overseeing a vast cultural institution, the next secretary may also need strong crisis-management skills, the ability to handle pressure from the White House and the political dexterity to navigate Congress, the source close to the board suggested. The source also acknowledged that the current political climate could make it harder to recruit a candidate.

“It might be very hard for people who might want this job, it’s not a simple task to find someone on the outside to leave their current role at a time like now,” said the person, who asked to remain anonymous because they are not authorized to speak on behalf of the Board of Regents.

When Lonnie Bunch, the first African American secretary in the Smithsonian’s 180-year history, announced this month that he would retire at the end of 2026, he took care to say that the decision was not related to the pressure from the Trump administration he had been facing for months.

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But even one of Bunch’s fiercest critics, Mike Gonzalez, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said he was surprised that he stayed as long as he did.

Bunch steadfastly advocated for the Smithsonian’s independence over the last 18 months after Trump launched his broadside with an executive order on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” directing a review of all exhibits.

“Throughout this whole ordeal, I was like, ‘Why does he want to hang in like that?’ But he was hanging in, and he was fighting,” Gonzalez said.

The Board of Regents, which will choose the next secretary and is expected to enlist the help of a search firm to identify potential successors, is itself in flux.

There are three current vacancies on the 17-member board and, according to the institution, three more terms will lapse on October 2. These vacancies are members of the public appointed to the board. Members serve for six-year terms and can be renewed for a second term.

The board submitted names of prospective candidates several months ago to fill seats left vacant by departing regents, but the White House hasn’t responded, a source with knowledge of the matter tells CNN. It’s been “crickets,” the source said.

Congress approves board members and the White House signs off, so the process has been effectively stalled. While the board still has enough members to govern, the loss of citizen regents leaves a body increasingly dominated by political officeholders, including six members of Congress and Vice President JD Vance.

“If you want to take control of the Smithsonian, the seats are important,” the source said of the Board of Regents.

The White House has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.

While it’s not clear what the holdup on filling the vacancies is, Trump directed Vance in his executive order last year to work with congressional leaders to seek the appointment of public members who are aligned with his priorities for the institution.

Vance has not had a consistent presence at board meetings, but a source familiar with the matter says he has not shied away from exerting political pressure. They point to two meetings last year where they discussed Trump’s desire to oust National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet : Vance reminded the board that it needed to do what the president wanted because much of the Smithsonian’s funding comes from the federal government.

Meanwhile, the White House ramped up its criticism of the Smithsonian this summer, issuing a report accusing its leaders of adopting a divisive, far-left ideological framework that erases American heritage. And earlier this month, the administration suggested federal agencies stop working with the Smithsonian if its leadership didn’t change.

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Then, in a letter to Congress, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed taxpayers will spend about $84,000 on 12 temporary signs outside the Smithsonian’s American history museum. Trump had directed the installation of the signs in July but offered few details.

Burgum points to specific exhibits and educational materials dealing with immigration, gender identity and race as justification for the signs. The administration is framing the effort not as censorship, but a transparency measure designed to provide visitors with what Burgum describes as “important context” before they enter the museum.

“In the interest of transparency and full disclosure, the public deserves to know,” he wrote.

Burgum repeatedly cited comments made by Bunch and Anthea Hartig, the American history museum director, about social justice, race and immigration. He also notes Bunch’s involvement in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The letter, which says the signs are “not yet finalized,” also acknowledges the unusual nature of the move. “This may be the first instance in which executive branch intervention of this nature has become necessary,” Burgum wrote.

Shortly after Bunch announced his retirement, Chief Justice Roberts opened a Smithsonian Board of Regents meeting with positive remarks about him. He also praised Bunch in a statement, thanking the outgoing secretary for “distinguished service for the past seven years in the Smithsonian’s top job” and said the board looked forward to “working with him in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.”

Roberts has seen the regents through the selection of three Smithsonian secretaries.

While Roberts mostly listens during board meetings, sources say he cares deeply about the Smithsonian and his role, and they hope he helps put the board in the best position to make decisions about the institution’s future.

But Roberts also could be constrained by the fact that the Trump administration’s more controversial moves at the Smithsonian could be litigated. Some critics have argued the president’s actions have exceeded his authority.

“He is careful by nature,” a source familiar with the matter said. “He recognizes he doesn’t want to be too engaged on things that could go before the Supreme Court.”

CNN’s Piper Hudspeth-Blackburn and Joan Biskupic contributed to this report.

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史密森学会准备在全国范围内寻找新领导人，但在这个长期以来被认为是艺术、科学和历史界的肥缺职位上，却出现了一个意想不到的问号。

一位与史密森学会理事会关系密切的人士告诉 CNN：“谁愿意接受这种政治压力？”

这次搜寻行动是几十年来最重要的搜寻行动之一，正值社会动荡时期。

这家历史悠久的机构正处于唐纳德·特朗普总统发起的文化战争的十字路口。本周，特朗普政府透露，计划在史密森尼美国国家历史博物馆外安装标牌，以“纠正”展览中所谓的不准确和“觉醒”信息。

即将离任的长期担任部长的朗尼·邦奇三世造成的领导真空也蔓延到了史密森学会董事会，空缺职位越来越多——这引发了人们的担忧，特朗普可能会试图影响这一过程，用他的盟友安插到管理机构中。

在当前这种不同寻常的政治博弈中，一些人寄希望于最高法院首席大法官罗伯茨——他自2005年起担任史密森学会会长——能够稳住局面。但了解罗伯茨的人表示，他不太可能公开支持任何特定的结果。相反，他们预计他会在幕后运作，确保程序按部就班地进行。

以往史密森学会秘书的遴选过程中，讨论的焦点往往集中在管理经验、博物馆领导能力和学术成就上。而现在，一些知情人士表示，政治手腕或许与博物馆资历同样重要。

一位接近董事会的消息人士透露，除了要管理一个庞大的文化机构外，下一任秘书可能还需要具备强大的危机管理能力、应对白宫压力的能力以及在国会周旋的政治手腕。该消息人士也承认，当前的政治环境可能会使招募候选人变得更加困难。

“对于那些想要这份工作的人来说，这可能非常困难，在目前这种时候，要找到一个愿意离开现有职位的外部人员并非易事，”这位人士说道，他要求匿名，因为他没有被授权代表董事会发言。

本月，史密森学会180年历史上第一位非裔美国人秘书朗尼·邦奇宣布将于2026年底退休。他特意表示，这一决定与他几个月来一直面临的来自特朗普政府的压力无关。

Al Drago（图片来源：《华盛顿邮报》/Getty Images）

但即使是邦奇最激烈的批评者之一，传统基金会的高级研究员迈克·冈萨雷斯也表示，他对邦奇能待那么久感到惊讶。

在过去 18 个月里，特朗普签署了一项关于“恢复美国历史的真相和理智”的行政命令，指示对所有展览进行审查，此后，邦奇坚定地倡导史密森学会的独立性。

“在整个过程中，我一直在想，‘他为什么要这样坚持下去？’但他一直在坚持，一直在战斗，”冈萨雷斯说。

董事会将选出下一任秘书，预计董事会将聘请猎头公司来寻找潜在的继任者，但董事会本身也处于变动之中。

目前17名董事会成员中有三个空缺，据该机构称，另有三个任期将于10月2日届满。这些空缺职位均由公众任命的董事会成员担任。董事会成员任期六年，可连任一届。

据一位知情人士向CNN透露，董事会几个月前就提交了候选人名单，以填补离任董事留下的空缺，但白宫至今仍未作出回应。这位知情人士称，目前“杳无音信”。

国会批准董事会成员，白宫签字，因此这一程序实际上已经停滞。虽然董事会成员数量仍然足以维持运作，但由于公民董事的流失，该机构日益被政治官员所把持，其中包括六名国会议员和副总统约翰·迪·万斯。

“如果你想掌控史密森学会，席位就很重要，”消息人士在谈到理事会时说道。

白宫尚未回应CNN的置评请求。

虽然目前还不清楚填补空缺的原因是什么，但特朗普去年在其行政命令中指示万斯与国会领导人合作，寻求任命符合他对该机构优先事项的公众成员。

万斯并未持续出席董事会会议，但一位知情人士透露，他并未回避施加政治压力。该人士指出，去年曾有两次会议讨论了特朗普希望撤换国家肖像馆馆长金·萨杰特的意愿：万斯提醒董事会，他们必须遵从总统的意愿，因为史密森学会的大部分资金来自联邦政府。

与此同时，今年夏天，白宫加大了对史密森学会的批评力度，发布报告指责其领导层奉行分裂性的极左意识形态，抹杀美国传统。本月初，美国政府还暗示，如果史密森学会的领导层不更换，联邦机构将停止与其合作。

汤姆·布伦纳/《华盛顿邮报》/盖蒂图片社

随后，内政部长道格·伯古姆在致国会的一封信中透露，纳税人将花费约8.4万美元在史密森尼美国历史博物馆外设立12个临时标牌。特朗普曾在7月份指示安装这些标牌，但并未提供太多细节。

伯格姆指出，馆内一些涉及移民、性别认同和种族等主题的展览和教育材料是设置这些标识的合理理由。馆方表示，此举并非审查，而是一项旨在提高透明度的措施，目的是在参观者进入博物馆之前，为他们提供伯格姆所说的“重要背景信息”。

“为了透明和充分披露，公众有权知道真相，”他写道。

伯格姆多次引用邦奇和美国历史博物馆馆长安西娅·哈蒂格关于社会正义、种族和移民的评论。他还指出邦奇积极参与多元化、公平和包容性倡议。

信中指出，这些标志“尚未最终确定”，同时也承认此举不同寻常。“这可能是行政部门首次需要进行此类干预，”伯格姆写道。

邦奇宣布退休后不久，首席大法官罗伯茨在史密森学会理事会会议上发表了对他的积极评价。他还在一份声明中赞扬了邦奇，感谢这位即将卸任的秘书长“在过去七年中担任史密森学会最高职务期间做出的杰出贡献”，并表示理事会期待“在未来几个月与他合作，确保其继任者顺利交接”。

罗伯茨见证了史密森学会三位秘书的遴选过程。

虽然罗伯茨在董事会会议上大多时候只是旁听，但消息人士称，他非常关心史密森学会及其自身角色，他们希望他能帮助董事会处于最佳位置，以便就该机构的未来做出决策。

但罗伯茨也可能受到以下事实的制约：特朗普政府在史密森尼博物馆采取的更具争议性的举措可能会引发诉讼。一些批评人士认为，总统的行为已经超越了他的权限。

一位知情人士表示：“他生性谨慎。他明白自己不想过多卷入可能最终闹到最高法院的事情。”

CNN的Piper Hudspeth-Blackburn和Joan Biskupic对本报道亦有贡献。