The Smithsonian’s Descent into Woke Propaganda: How Democrat Control Turned America’s Museum into an Anti-Patriotic Indoctrination Hub

In a bombshell segment on “The Benny Show”  (ABOVE) aired August 15, 2025, fitness icon Jillian Michaels exposed the Smithsonian’s latest outrage: an exhibit in the National Museum of African Art that blasphemously compares George Floyd—a career criminal who died of a fentanyl overdose during a police encounter—to Jesus Christ. Michaels, visibly appalled, detailed how the display vilifies all law enforcement as systemic oppressors, instills fear in Black Americans, and ignores any positive strides in race relations. “It paints one picture that’s constant,” she said, highlighting the absence of balance or context, such as statistics showing unarmed Black men killed by police number in the low dozens annually.

This isn’t just poor curation; it’s a deliberate assault on American values, funded by taxpayers and emblematic of how the far-left Democrats have hijacked the Smithsonian Institution, transforming it from a beacon of national pride into a vehicle for divisive, anti-American ideology. Founded in 1846 as a repository for America’s scientific and cultural heritage, the Smithsonian was once a neutral ground celebrating the nation’s ingenuity, exploration, and unity. But under decades of Democrat dominance—amplified during the Obama and Biden eras—it has devolved into a woke indoctrination factory. Conservative critics, including those at The Heritage Foundation, argue this shift stems from leftist appointments, bloated federal funding, and an unchecked DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) agenda that prioritizes grievance over greatness.
As President Trump noted in his push to purge DEI from the institution, the Smithsonian’s exhibits now promote “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology,” a stark betrayal of its mission. 

Democrat Appointments and the Leftward Lurch

The rot began accelerating under Democrat control, with key leadership roles filled by ideologues beholden to progressive dogma. Lonnie Bunch, appointed as Smithsonian Secretary in 2019 by a Democrat-led board, oversees an empire where exhibits routinely bash America’s founding principles. Bunch’s tenure has seen the institution embrace critical race theory (CRT), which Heritage experts decry as a Marxist tool that views capitalism and whiteness as inherently oppressive.

This bias is evident in funding streams: The Mellon Foundation, criticized by National Review for its insular, dogmatic left-wing grants, pours millions into Smithsonian projects that amplify identity politics over historical accuracy. Under Obama, the Smithsonian launched the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which conservatives like those at The Federalist slam for wall-to-wall anti-American propaganda, including rainbow “pride” flags and pseudo-history framing the U.S. as irredeemably racist. Exhibits there and elsewhere peddle Howard Zinn’s revisionist, anti-American narratives, portraying the nation as a perpetual oppressor rather than a land of opportunity. As National Review’s Brian Allen observed, leftist curators distort stories to fit a narrative of eternal victimhood, ignoring facts like America’s swift abolition of slavery compared to ongoing practices in Africa.

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Flagship Exhibits: Blasphemy, Bias, and Balkanization

The Floyd-Jesus comparison is just the latest travesty. In the African Art Museum’s exhibit, a 55-minute video juxtaposes Floyd’s death with Christ’s crucifixion, equating a drug-addled felon with the Son of God while demonizing police as white supremacists.

Recognizing the threat, President Trump has launched a full-scale review. His executive orders direct Vice President Vance to eliminate DEI, ending “divisive, un-American propaganda.” Fox News reports Trump’s vow: American history won’t be “displayed in a woke manner.” This includes confronting biased exhibits, as when the Smithsonian removed Trump impeachment references, drawing liberal ire but aligning with neutrality. Democrats, who cheered 2020 statue topplings, now hypocritically oppose the review, per Fox and CNN’s Scott Jennings. Heritage applauds Trump’s purge as essential to claw back cultural ground from the leftist agenda. Breitbart notes congressional Republicans grilling the Smithsonian over ejecting pro-life students, exposing its intolerance.

To sum it all up: Restore or Defund?