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Don’t whitewash this national treasure

Don’t whitewash this national treasure

Is nothing safe from the culture wars? President Trump has found a new battleground: the nation’s museums. He’s demanded that art and stories that he says divide people based on race be removed from the Smithsonian's dozens of institutions. The Post’s Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Monica Hesse discuss what’s at stake when our history is papered over, and how art can make us uncomfortable or overwhelmed, but sometimes that’s the point.

Reasonably Optimistic

April 4, 202521m 26s

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Show Notes

Is nothing safe from the culture wars? President Trump has found a new battleground: the nation’s museums. He’s demanded that art and stories that he says divide people based on race be removed from the Smithsonian's dozens of institutions. The Post’s Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Monica Hesse discuss what’s at stake when our history is papered over, and how art can make us uncomfortable or overwhelmed, but sometimes that’s the point. 


Additional reading by our columnists:

Monica Hesse: What exactly does Trump think is in the Smithsonian?

Monica Hesse: Don’t say (Enola) Gay


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