Executive Order 14253: Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History
President: Donald J. Trump
Directed the Vice President and OMB to work with the Smithsonian on exhibits and funding and directed Interior to restore specified monument and commemorative policies.
Status: In effect.
Is Executive Order 14253 still in effect? Yes. Active; Smithsonian and monument review directive.
What does Executive Order 14253 do?
The Vice President and OMB were assigned Smithsonian coordination, while Interior had a separate monument-policy review.
Later primary evidence reviewed September 24, 2026: A later presidential order described a Domestic Policy Council review of the Smithsonian undertaken pursuant to this order. Official source. The cited steps do not establish every downstream effect.
Reading the operative provisions of Executive Order 14253
EO 14253 directs executive officials to influence federal cultural policy through Smithsonian coordination, review of federal funding and changes to monument and commemorative policies. It assigns the Vice President and OMB roles in communicating with the Smithsonian and directs Interior to take specified steps concerning federal monuments. The administration’s stated goal is to promote a particular account of American history. The directive is published as EO 14253 in the Federal Register.
The Smithsonian is a congressionally established institution with a distinctive governance structure, and its museums and research programs are not simply executive agencies. Federal officials may coordinate on appropriations and appointments within their legal roles, but an order does not automatically give the White House editorial control over every exhibit. Funding conditions must have a lawful basis, and government action affecting expression can raise First Amendment questions. The order’s stated preferences therefore should not be mistaken for a binding historical finding or a directive that private museums must follow.
Monument actions also depend on who owns or administers the property and which statute applies. Interior can manage federal lands and memorials within its jurisdiction, but a directive cannot change a state or local monument’s status without appropriate authority. To determine what changed, examine the specific agency order, Smithsonian board action, grant condition or monument decision. A presidential instruction is the starting point; implementation and legal effect depend on the institution that acted and its authority.
Before and after
Before the order
The Smithsonian operated under federal statutes and regent governance; monuments followed preservation and land-management law.
After the order
The administration initiated exhibit and monument reviews, but the order itself does not rewrite museum content or override the Smithsonian Board of Regents’ statutory role.
A later presidential order described a Domestic Policy Council review of the Smithsonian undertaken pursuant to this order.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Vice President and OMB | Coordinate review of Smithsonian policies and funding | Ongoing |
| Interior Secretary | Review monuments and restore federal properties | 120 days / ongoing |
What happened next
EO 14253 signed.
Later primary evidence reviewed: A later presidential order described a Domestic Policy Council review of the Smithsonian undertaken pursuant to this order.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Smithsonian’s organic statutes, congressional appropriations, regent governance, preservation law and the First Amendment constrain implementation. Funding conditions require lawful authority.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 24, 2026. How we research →