Rabia İclal Turan
08 August 2025•Update: 08 August 2025
WASHINGTON
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Friday revealed an updated impeachment exhibit that includes former President Donald Trump’s two impeachments after information on those incidents was removed last month during a content review.
“The updated display now reflects all presidential impeachments,” the museum said, quoted by The Washington Post, adding that it aims to present history with “intellectual integrity and thoughtful design.”
According to the Post, for Trump’s first impeachment, the new text reads: “On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges focused on the president’s alleged solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election and defiance of Congressional subpoenas. Trump was acquitted in January 2020.”
The institution said the earlier signage had been removed because it “was not consistent with other sections of the exhibit,” but its removal drew criticism from some Democrats and members of the public.
Trump has repeatedly said his impeachment was illegal and should be invalidated.
The exhibit also includes the impeachments of President Andrew Johnson in the 19th century, President Bill Clinton in 1998, and President Richard Nixon, who resigned in 1974 over the Watergate scandal, with the threat of likely impeachment hanging over him. Trump, during his first term in 2017-2021, was impeached twice.
Since taking office, Trump has sought to exercise greater control over the Smithsonian museum and research group, which is based in Washington, DC. In March, he issued an executive order instructing Vice President JD Vance, who sits on the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to stop government spending on “exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.”
