Smithsonian Institution - The Atlantic

Smithsonian Institution

Atlantic Exclusive

Trump’s Unlikely Strategy to Control History: Footnotes

October 6, 2026

The exterior of the Smithsonian Castle.

The Next Change Trump Has Planned for the Smithsonian

September 15, 2026

The exterior of the National Museum of American History.

What Lonnie Bunch Told Me

September 10, 2026

Lonnie Bunch, in 2014, standing on the site of the future National Museum of African American History and Culture

Lonnie Bunch Protected the Smithsonian From More Than Trump

September 9, 2026

Photo illustration showing Bunch in front of the Smithsonian castle.

Why Lonnie Bunch Is Leaving the Smithsonian

Kelsey Ables and Janay Kingsberry

September 8, 2026

The White House Wants to Make the Smithsonian a Pariah

September 2, 2026

The Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall

One Problem With Attacking the Smithsonian? Americans Like It.

August 4, 2026

The Smithsonian Castle slips out of a frame in this clever photo illustration.

Trump’s Trigger Warnings

July 24, 2026

Pedestrians outside the National Museum of American History

The Smithsonian’s Show Trial on Capitol Hill

July 22, 2026

Anthea Hartig testifies in a hearing on Capitol Hill.

How the Smithsonian Could Fall

July 16, 2026

Silhouette of a girl looking at an American Flag

A Huge Escalation in Trump’s Smithsonian Meddling

July 6, 2026

The area outside the National Museum of American History's display of the Star-Spangled Banner

Time-Travel Thursdays

Authoritarians Are Great at Propaganda—Until They’re Not

June 25, 2026

A red-tinted photo of Trump holding up a photo of the White House East Wing renovation

First the Kennedy Center, Now the Smithsonian

June 22, 2026

A graphic illustration showing a black-and-white photo of Lonnie Bunch split across various picture frames.

The Uncertain Future of the Smithsonian’s Smallest Museum

Camille Borders

June 3, 2026

A black-and-white photo of visitors at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum looking at a quilt that depicts Frederick Douglass.

How Trump’s Culture War Derailed a New Smithsonian Museum

May 22, 2026

Pedestrians stroll by the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall

A Cautious New Approach to Trump’s Impeachments at the Smithsonian

May 15, 2026

A photo of President Trump on display in the National Portrait Gallery

The Atlantic Hires Kelsey Ables, Janay Kingsberry, Will Oremus, and Matt Viser as Staff Writers

March 30, 2026

From left: Kelsey Ables (photo by Kelly Kasulis Cho), Janay Kingsberry (photo by Marvin Joseph), Will Oremus, Matt Viser

Why MAGA Wants You to Think Slavery Wasn’t That Bad

Thomas Chatterton Williams

February 13, 2026

A collage of historical illustrations and documents related to the transatlantic slave trade with some pieces missing

The Real Fight for the Smithsonian

January 22, 2026

A collage of the Smithsonian, a frame, and a sculpture from the exhibit "Monuments"

Those Who Try to Erase History Will Fail

January 19, 2026

A color photograph of a man looking up at the artwork on the ceiling of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Take a Close Look at Trump’s Portrait

Judith Shulevitz

January 18, 2026

A framed photograph of Donal Trump in a suit, leaning over a table, and a woman looking at it.

Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad

August 22, 2025

A photograph of enslaved people from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

The Atlantic Daily

A Terrible Five Days for the Truth

David A. Graham

August 4, 2025

Trump and microphones

Why Is Trump Mad at the Zoo?

April 6, 2025

zoo animals wearing maga hats