Updated on: Aug 20, 2025 01:16 am IST
Trump faces backlash after a post slamming the Smithsonian for focusing on slavery, with many interpreting it as him downplaying one of America’s darkest eras.
A social media post by US President Donald Trump sparked backlash for allegedly defending slavery, considered one of the darkest chapters in the US’s history. On Monday, Trump criticized the Smithsonian Institution for highlighting “how bad Slavery was.”
Many on social media were quick to interpret the 79-year-old’s post as a defense of slavery, which was abolished on December 18, 1865, under the 13th Amendment. Calling the Smithsonian “out of control,” Trump said: “The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE’.”
“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,” he added.
As soon as the post dropped, social media erupted with accusations that the President is trying to defend slavery. The president was widely criticized for allegedly “white washing” America’s history.
“Trump is angry that the Smithsonian Museum talks about how bad slavery was, which is a crucial part of American history. He’s now sending his attorneys after the museum. This is what dictators have done throughout history. Wake up, America,” Harry Sisson wrote.
This story is being updated.
