DC sues Trump administration over ‘unlawful’ federal takeover
The D.C. attorney general on Friday sued the Trump administration over its federal takeover of the D.C. police force and its deployment of national guard troops into the city, arguing that the effort is “unlawful” and exceeds Trump’s authority as commander in chief. The lawsuit, filed Friday by D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, challenges Trump’s executive order to temporarily federalize D.C. under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s more recent order Thursday that seeks to install the DEA head as the emergency commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Force — arguing the moves are both unprecedented and “brazenly unlawful.” In the filing, submitted to federal court in D.C., Schwalb urged the court to block both of the administration’s orders, stating that the Trump administration’s temporary takeover of D.C. police under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act “does not authorize this brazen usurpation of the District’s authority over its own government.” “They infringe on the District’s right to self-governance and put the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk.” he said. TRUMP IS THREATENING TO ‘FEDERALIZE’ DC WITH NATIONAL GUARD AND MORE. HERE’S HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT The lawsuit comes five days after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to temporarily federalize D.C., which he described as an effort to “reestablish law order and public safety” and temporarily federalize the city, which he described Monday as “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world.” That order included deploying hundreds of D.C. National Guard troops into the city, and temporarily taking federal control of D.C.’s police force. On Thursday, Bondi expanded on that effort by ordering the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, be installed as the “emergency” commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Force, sidelining current Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith. “By declaring a hostile takeover of MPD, the Administration is abusing its limited, temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the District’s right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk,” Schwalb said in a statement Friday. “The Administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home,” he added. “This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it.” EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-ALIGNED LEGAL GROUP FILES FOIA REQUEST FOR DC CRIME DATA, CITING ALLEGED MANIPULATION The lawsuit caps a heated week in the nation’s capital, as President Donald Trump and White House officials have assailed what they describe as a “ridiculous” amount of crime in D.C. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told NewsNation in an interview earlier this week that Washington, D.C., “is more violent than Baghdad.” They have alleged recent data — which found a 26% decline in violent crime between 2023 and 2024 — has been “manipulated” or underreported. Just hours earlier, the Trump-linked America First Legal Foundation (AFL) filed a FOIA request seeking all crime records and data compiled by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, as part of an effort to scrutinize information and crime statistics at issue. Meanwhile, critics have excoriated Trump’s executive order, which they argue is not based on an uptick in crime or an “emergency” — but rather, serves as justification for the administration to push through its sweeping executive action outside the normal policymaking process. Norm Eisen, the former White House ethics czar under President Barack Obama, told reporters Thursday that Trump’s order in D.C. is the latest in a “pattern of assaults on the rule of law” in his second term as president. Trump “has declared a fake emergency” in D.C., Eisen said. “There is no ‘emergency’ upon which this action with MPD or the federal military is predicated” in D.C., Eisen said. “In fact, crime has been dropping in D.C.” Trump in March signed an executive order, “Making DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,” designed to address issues with a city he has long derided as “filthy,” “horribly run” and “crime-ridden,” among other things. “We want to have a great, safe capital,” he told reporters earlier this year. “And we’re going to have it. And that includes cleanliness, and it includes other things.”
SC Republican mounts bid for House seat currently occupied by gubernatorial hopeful Nancy Mace
South Carolina Republican state Rep. Mark Smith launched a bid for U.S. Congress. He is running for the seat in the Palmetto State’s 1st Congressional District, which is currently occupied by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who is running for governor. FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICAN FIREBRAND NANCY MACE LAUNCHES BID FOR SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR Mace launched a gubernatorial bid earlier this month, leaving her House seat up for grabs in the 2026 election. “In the State House, I fought for the largest tax cut in South Carolina history, backed the blue, cracked down on illegal immigration, and defended our values without apology,” Smith declared in a Thursday post on X. Smith has served in the state House of Representatives since late 2020. “In South Carolina’s 1st District, we need a proven conservative leader who will fight for President Trump’s America First agenda and deliver results — not drama,” he said in the X post. “The Lowcountry needs a fighter who will stand with President Trump and puts South Carolina first. That’s exactly what I’ll do in Washington,” he asserted.
Virginia school districts support for transgender students’ rights in governor’s race spotlight
A move this week by the Loudon County, Virginia, school board to continue to support allowing transgender children to use facilities that do not match their biological sex is front-and-center in the state’s gubernatorial election. “This is absolutely unacceptable,” Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor in this year’s election, said in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday. “Our girl children are simply not safe. Are we erasing women now?” The Justice Department in President Donald Trump’s administration is demanding that Loudon County’s school district repeal the policy, and is threatening to pull $50 million in federal funding if the school board doesn’t act by Friday. But the school board, at a meeting Tuesday evening, voted 6-3 to continue to defy the Justice Department by continuing to support Policy 8040, which provides protections for transgender students. VIRGINIA GOVERNOR’S RACE: SPANBERGER UNVEILS EDUCATION PLAN The Justice Department argues that the policy is in violation of Title IX, which is a half-century-old federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal funding. Loudon County is one of five northern Virginia school districts that face the Friday deadline, along with Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Prince William County Public Schools, and Fairfax County Public Schools. POTENTIAL YOUNGKIN SUCCESSOR FOCUSED ON MESSAGE IN TOUGH RACE TO KEEP SWING-STATE ‘RED’ The Justice Department charges that the school districts’ policies, which give students the option to use school bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity and not their biological sex, violate Title IX. Sears, pointing to the Republican sweep of statewide offices in Virginia elections four years ago, said that the school districts have “gone rogue and apparently, they have learned no lessons since 2021, when we first ran, and they must not understand that parents still matter.” Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin spotlighted parents’ rights in their children’s education in his 2021 gubernatorial victory in a state that had tilted blue for a dozen years. The Democratic Party 2025 nominee for Virginia governor, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, took to social media on Wednesday in the wake of the Loudon County school board meeting, to write that “as a mom, I’m so grateful for the hardworking, dedicated Virginians who make sure our children have a safe, positive, and productive school day.” “As Governor, I’ll make sure our educators get the support they need to continue providing a world-class education for our Commonwealth’s kids,” Spanberger, a former CIA officer, pledged. But Sears charged that Spanberger, who is the polling frontrunner in November’s election, is playing both sides of the issue. “What she’s trying to do is have it both ways, because she has supported and voted for biological men in girls’ sports and bathrooms,” as she pointed to a past vote in Congress by Spanberger. “I want parents to know—‘I’m in your corner,’” Sears told Fox News. And she argued that “Abigail Spanberger won’t even step in the ring to fight for you.”
Top Trump official vows to end ‘cycle of government dependency’ in homeless crackdown
EXCLUSIVE: Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner wants to stop “the cycle of government dependency” for homelessness following President Donald Trump’s order for a federal takeover of Washington, D.C. “President Trump is the law-and-order President and now he is taking necessary action to restore law and order to our nation’s capital,” Turner said in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital. “Americans who live and work in D.C., and families touring the district, should be able to walk the streets without fear of getting mugged or gunned down.” “Years of failed policies and weak leadership in the district have led to chaos, crime, violence, and homelessness. President Trump is bringing back peace and stability for hardworking, law-abiding Americans,” the secretary continued. TRUMP VOWS TO MAKE DC ‘SAFER’ AND ‘BEAUTIFUL’ AS CAPITAL BATTLES CRIME AND HOMELESSNESS “As part of this vision, HUD is committed to bringing back order by ending the cycle of government dependency that has enabled perpetual homelessness. Helping our nation’s most vulnerable starts with giving them the tools they need to achieve self-sufficiency, not endless government handouts,” he added. In a post earlier this week, Turner noted that “crime halts revitalization in its tracks.” A major part of the federal government’s crackdown in the city is clearing out homeless encampments on land throughout Washington, D.C., that falls under the National Park Service’s purview. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained in a briefing on Tuesday that the options are for people to agree to get assistance, or face time behind bars. “Seventy homeless encampments have been removed by the U.S. Park Police,” Leavitt said. I SUPPORT TRUMP TAKING CONTROL OF DC POLICE — THE CONSTITUTION IS ON HIS SIDE “There are only two homeless encampments remaining in D.C. federal parks under the National Park Service’s jurisdiction, and the removal of those two remaining camps is scheduled for this week,” she added. Meanwhile, there’s been a noticeable increase in federal officers around the capital city in recent days amid the hotly debated effort to curb crime in the area. While many Republicans and others have praised the move, many Democrats have said it’s an overstep in authority. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said that juvenile disorder has been an issue, but has also criticized the federal takeover method. “This is a time where community needs to jump in. We all need to, to do what we can in our space, in our lane, to protect our city and to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule, and get to the other side of this guy, and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push,” Bowser said during town hall on Tuesday, which was livestreamed on X. DC MAYOR REVERSES COURSE ON TRUMP INTERVENTION, DOWNPLAYS CITY CRIME “You’ve heard me talking about youth a lot in the last several months, especially youth who are participating in really destructive, disruptive behavior with these kind of youth takeovers,” the mayor also said this week. “Some of them are our kids. Some of them are coming across the region to descend on places like the Navy Yard. So parents — this is not the first time you’ve heard me say this — so parents, you really need to know where your kids are. I think we really have some kids that are, you know, not criminals, but they are getting together in big groups and causing some really — they’re causing destruction.” The D.C. Police Union backed the Trump administration’s latest actions, saying it could serve as a critical turning point for the city on crime. “Last night, DC suffered the grave milestone of its 100th homicide for 2025. Let’s hope this federal intervention leads to real change to the laws in DC that allow this to happen year after year,” the group posted on August 12.
‘Defend the Homeland’: DHS unveils striking new ICE fleet to boost recruitment, visibility
The Department of Homeland Security debuted a fleet of newly branded Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicles Thursday, one of the most visible public displays in the agency’s history. “We will have our country back,” DHS’s official X post says. The high-profile launch, captured in a professionally produced rollout video on DHS’s X account, comes as the federal government intensifies law enforcement operations in Washington, D.C., under President Donald Trump’s recent crime crackdown. The agency has traditionally been more discreet in its policing, with agents dressed in plain street clothes to conduct enforcement. OVER 100K AMERICANS RUSH TO JOIN TRUMP’S MASSIVE ICE HIRING SPREE NATIONWIDE, DHS SAYS The video, viewed nearly 200,000 times within hours, features close-up shots of the new fleet as it travels through the nation’s capital, passing landmarks, including the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol and the White House. Dark navy SUVs and pickup trucks are outfitted with red and gold striping, large gold “ICE” lettering on the sides, and the slogan “Defend the Homeland.” On the rear, a gold-embossed “President Donald J. Trump” is prominently displayed. The rap track “TOES” by DaBaby is featured prominently in the background, including the lyric, “My heart so cold I think I’m done with ice (Uh, brr).” The video was shared via X with a recruitment link to JOIN.ICE.GOV. TRUMP ADMIN UNLEASHES CRUCIAL RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN WITH MASSIVE BONUSES TO BOLSTER ICE RANKS According to ICE’s recruitment website, new officers are offered competitive salaries, paid federal holidays and a full federal benefits package that includes health, dental, vision and life insurance, a retirement plan and a Thrift Savings Plan similar to a 401(k). Additional incentives can include tuition reimbursement, transportation subsidies, telework options and access to fitness centers. The fleet rollout coincides with a surge in visible federal policing in the nation’s capital. President Trump has temporarily assumed control of the D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department for 30 days. DHS says ICE, along with agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and the National Guard, are reinforcing MPD patrols and manning city checkpoints. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s office released a fact sheet showing the rollout reflects broader enforcement gains in her first 200 days, including a reported 93% decline in border encounters, a near halt to illegal migration through Panama’s Darién Gap and more than 100,000 job applications to ICE since the “Defend the Homeland” campaign began. The department has also reopened the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement office and logged more than 352,000 arrests since January. The House and Senate Homeland Security Committee Republican press offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The ICE union and agency spokespeople were also contacted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Public reaction to the rollout video on DHS’s X account was largely positive Thursday, with replies from veterans, law enforcement families and other supporters. “ Keep up the excellent work, thank you for protecting us,” one user wrote. Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Mike Castle, Delaware’s last Republican governor and congressman, dead at 86
Former Delaware Gov. Mike Castle, a Republican moderate who championed creating the popular 50 State Quarters Program of commemorative coins while he served in Congress, has died. He was 86. The Delaware Republican Party announced that Castle died Thursday in Greenville but shared no other details. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ADDRESSES WHETHER KAMALA HARRIS HAS REACHED THE END OF HER POLITICAL CAREER Castle was among Delaware’s most successful politicians, never losing a race until his stunning upset in a 2010 primary for the U.S. Senate seat that Democrat Joe Biden held before becoming vice president. During his 18 years in Congress, Castle became a leader of centrist Republicans, earning a reputation as a fiscal conservative and social moderate not afraid to challenge the party line on issues ranging from government spending to environmental protection and abortion. As Delaware’s lone representative in the U.S. House from 1993 to 2011, he supported a pay-as-you-go policy for both spending and tax cuts. Castle played roles in improving child nutrition programs and establishing the No Child Left Behind education reform program. His signature issue in Congress was the commemorative quarters program that featured coins honoring each state, starting with Delaware. He was dubbed by the coin grading service Numismatic Guaranty Company as “The Coinage Congressman.” The quarters boosted federal revenues as they were taken out of circulation. He also helped establish a similar program honoring U.S. presidents with dollar coins, beginning in 2007, and an “America the Beautiful” quarter program honoring national parks, monuments and nature areas starting in 2010. “The Honorable Michael Castle embodied the best of public service — moderation, integrity, and a steadfast commitment to all Delawareans,” Delaware GOP Chairman Gene Truono said in a statement Thursday. Castle had been a state lawmaker and lieutenant governor before becoming governor in 1985. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer ordered flags flown at half-staff for the next week in Castle’s honor. “During his time as governor, Mike Castle visited every single school in our state, including mine, where he spoke to my high school class with the same warmth, humility, and commitment to public service that defined his career,” said Meyer, a Democrat.
WATCH: National Guard humvees, roughly 30 troops stand guard outside DC’s Union Station amid police takeover
As National Guard troops ramped up their presence in the nation’s capital on Thursday, about seven National Guard Humvees and other military vehicles, and around 25 to 30 troops, stood guard outside D.C.’s Union Station. President Donald Trump’s move to federalize parts of the District of Columbia’s police force began earlier in the week, but troops from the National Guard scaled up their presence Thursday, with several stationed around the National Mall, at metro stations, at Union Station, near a U.S. Park building in Anacostia, D.C., and other places around the nation’s capital. As of Thursday, 800 National Guard members have been mobilized to Washington, D.C., according to the Defense Department. According to Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson, the troops are unarmed and are supporting other federal law enforcement agencies that have been called up to D.C. to quell the violence there. TRUMP’S FEDERAL CRIME OPERATION BRINGS 100 ARRESTS, 800 NATIONAL GUARD “The scope of support may be adjusted based on the needs of our partners,” Wilson said. “This would be very similar to the [Los Angeles] mission, where we can temporarily detain someone and then turn them over to the law enforcement.” At Union Station specifically, Fox News Digital counted around 25 to 30 National Guard personnel, all military police, four Humvees and three MATVs early Thursday evening. Fox News Digital only saw riot batons carried by the troops. DC TRAFFIC STOP REPORTING ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS A ‘GREAT STEP,’ TRUMP SAYS – OTHER BLUE CITIES COULD BE NEXT The other federal law enforcement agencies that the National Guard troops are supporting include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Secret Service. Operations aimed at reducing crime in the nation’s capital were initially focused on night patrols, but on Thursday they are going to begin patrolling 24/7. The increased law enforcement presence in D.C. has led to protesters taking the streets, including a handful seen at Union Station Thursday. On Wednesday night, local media reports indicated around 100 protesters in one Northwest Washington, D.C. neighborhood, where police had set up a vehicle checkpoint, came out to challenge the increased police presence.
Obama praises Democrats who fled Texas redistricting vote as ‘inspiring’
Former President Barack Obama praised a group of Texas Democratic lawmakers for fleeing their state to stop a vote on a redistricting bill, calling their actions “inspiring,” according to reporting. Texas state Rep. Gene Wu, who is chairman of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, posted on X on Thursday, thanking the former president for meeting with the lawmakers via Zoom. Wu said the Democrats were “encouraged” by Obama’s words and “remain committed to fighting for democracy, in Texas & across the country.” ABC News reported that an Obama spokesperson confirmed the meeting, saying he “lauded their fight against the Republican efforts to enact an even more egregious gerrymander in Texas ahead of the midterms.” OBAMA OFFICIAL SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY ‘AFRAID OF ITS OWN FUTURE,’ WANTS IT TO EMBRACE MAMDANI STRATEGY The spokesperson told the outlet that Obama “made clear that they are part of a bigger effort to protect free and fair elections and commended them for inspiring others with their actions.” This comes amid a continued standoff between Texas Republicans and Democrats over an effort backed by President Donald Trump to pass a redistricting bill that would likely give the GOP five additional congressional seats. Over 50 Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives fled the state to deny the legislature the quorum necessary to pass the bill. In response, Texas Republican leaders have filed legal action to compel the AWOL lawmakers to return and have also threatened to remove them from office if they continue refusing to participate in the legislative process. Texas House Democrats released a statement on Thursday in which they announced they will only return to the state if the legislature agrees to adjourn without plans to meet again or if California introduces its own redistricting legislation to “neutralize” the GOP seats gained in Texas. OBAMA LABELS TEXAS REDISTRICTING PUSH ‘A POWER GRAB THAT UNDERMINES OUR DEMOCRACY’ Obama has previously voiced solidarity with the Texas Democrats, saying in an Aug. 5 X post, “We can’t lose focus on what matters – right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year’s midterm elections. This is a power grab that undermines our democracy.” Wu told ABC News that the Democrats were “especially excited” to have Obama address them via Zoom. “Having President Obama speak with us and support us is proof that when Texas House Democrats stand up and fight back, we don’t stand alone — we have the support of Democrats at every level who understand that when Republicans attack voting rights in Texas, they’re attacking the foundation of our democracy everywhere,” Wu told the outlet. He said that the meeting was held via Zoom because of “Republican threats.” NEWSOM UNVEILS CALIFORNIA REDISTRICTING EFFORT TO COUNTER TRUMP-BACKED PUSH IN TEXAS “The fact that we have to meet President Obama from an undisclosed location and via Zoom because of Republican threats and surveillance only proves how desperate Abbott and his extremist allies have become,” Wu said. “They know their racial gerrymandering scheme is falling apart, so they’re resorting to intimidation tactics. But President Obama’s support shows the whole country is watching — and Texas House Democrats won’t be silenced by bullies.” On Thursday, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced plans to counter the Texas redistricting plan by pushing to have his state redraw its districts to eliminate the Republican seats. In response, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shot back that if California eliminates all its Republican districts, Texas should do the same, which would leave the GOP with a net gain.
Capitol Hill prepares for high-stakes battle over Trump crime package, DC police authority
Lawmakers are gearing up for a crime bill from the White House as President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington D.C. marches on. Trump hinted that he would be sending a package to Congress in the near future on Wednesday geared toward his administration’s continued push to make the district a “beacon” for other blue cities, but gave little detail as to what he may want to see in the legislation. REPUBLICANS READY TO SUPPORT TRUMP’S MOVE TO SKIRT CONGRESS IN DC CRIME CRACKDOWN “We think the Democrats will not do anything to stop crime, but we think the Republicans will do it almost unanimously,” Trump said. “So we’re going to need a crime bill that we’re going to be putting in, and it’s going to pertain initially to D.C.” He also noted that “we’re going to seek a relatively small amount of money” to fix potholes and generally spruce up the district. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that he had spoken with the president, Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House staff on “how Congress can help make Washington D.C. safe again.” “At the direction of President Trump,” Bondi said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This Department of Justice will continue to work with MPD, federal law enforcement and Congress to address the scourge of violent crime in Washington, D.C. and ensure the safety of all Americans visiting or living in our Nation’s capital.” Graham noted that the White House was working on a package to send to him and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the chair of the Homeland Security appropriations subcommittee. TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP ‘RIGHTLY’ TOOK OVER DC POLICE, DEMANDS BOWSER, OTHERS TESTIFY ON CRIME “Together, we will try to shepherd the D.C. Security Fund through Congress to give President Trump the resources he will need to improve the safety and quality of life in our nation’s capital,” Graham said on X. “Every American should be behind this effort to make Washington D.C. clean and safe so that it can truly become the shining city on the hill.” Whether the package would become a part of a spending bill, or be its own standalone supplemental funding package, is unclear, and when lawmakers would actually get their hands on a request is also up in the air. The White House referred Fox News Digital back to the president’s prior comments on the bill. Lawmakers are not set to return to Washington until after Labor Day and will be met immediately by the fast-approaching deadline to fund the government on Sept. 30. They’ll also have to deal with an expected request from Trump to extend his control of the D.C. police — the president has only 30 days unless Congress grants him an extension with a joint resolution. TRUMP PREDICTS LITTLE PROGRESS IN POTENTIAL SHUTDOWN TALKS WITH ‘CRAZY’ SCHUMER, JEFFRIES Republicans are broadly supportive of granting him more time to crack down on crime in the Capitol, but a joint resolution likely requires 60 votes in the Senate, and Senate Democrats are signaling that they won’t budge and allow Trump to further consolidate his grip on Washington. Still, Trump suggested that he would trigger a national emergency declaration to circumvent Congress, which some congressional Republicans have already come out in support of. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., declared “No f‑‑‑— way” during a podcast appearance when asked about an extension, and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told Fox News Digital in a statement that Trump’s move to federalize Washington D.C. was “political theater.” “He is doing nothing but creating chaos and ignoring the progress local officials in D.C. have made lowering crime,” Durbin said. “And now, he is saying he wants to side-step Congress to extend control of the MPD. There are currently no ‘special conditions of an emergency nature’ in D.C., which the President has to claim in order to take federal control of MPD under the Home Rule Act. This is unprecedented and nothing more than a power grab.”
American history won’t be displayed ‘in a woke manner’ at Smithsonian, Trump says
Smithsonian museums must represent the U.S. in a “fair” manner and portray both the good and the bad of American history, according to President Donald Trump. Trump made his comments after the White House sent a letter to the Smithsonian Tuesday unveiling plans to conduct a review of its museums and exhibits in preparation for the 250th birthday of the United States in 2026. “We want the museums to treat our country fairly,” Trump told reporters Thursday. “We want their museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner, which is what many of them, not all of them, but many of them are doing.” WHITE HOUSE REVIEWING ALL SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM, EXHIBIT CONTENT BEFORE AMERICA 250 CELEBRATION IN 2026 “Our museums have an obligation to represent what happened in our country over the years. Good and bad,” Trump said. “But what happened over the years in an accurate way.” The Smithsonian told Fox News Digital it was reviewing the Trump administration’s letter and would work with the White House, Congress and its governing Board of Regents moving forward. “The Smithsonian’s work is grounded in a deep commitment to scholarly excellence, rigorous research and the accurate, factual presentation of history,” the Smithsonian said in a statement. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, weighed in on the matter earlier Thursday, saying left-wing activists had “obscenely defaced” the museum. “The Smithsonian is supposed to be a global symbol of American strength, culture and prestige,” Miller posted to X Thursday. “A place for families and children to celebrate American history and greatness. Instead, the exhibits have clearly been taken over by leftwing activists who have used the Smithsonian as yet one platform to endlessly bash America and rewrite / erase our magnificent story. “These activists have obscenely defaced this beloved institution,” Miller added. “The Trump Administration will proudly and diligently restore the patriotic glory of America and ensure the Smithsonian is a place that once more inspires love and devotion to this nation, especially among our youngest citizens.” The White House’s initial letter to the Smithsonian Tuesday said the review would evaluate social media, exhibition text and educational materials. This would be done to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,” the letter said. “This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions,” the letter said. The review will focus on the following museums: the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. LIBERTY AND UNITY: WHAT AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY ASKS OF US TODAY Trump has taken previous steps to alter what content is shown in the Smithsonian museums and signed an executive order in March that placed Vice President JD Vance in charge of overseeing the removal of programs or exhibits that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.” Vance has already moved to shake things up at the Smithsonian. Artist Amy Sherald canceled an exhibit scheduled to arrive at the Smithsonian in September that included a portrait of a transgender Statue of Liberty at the National Portrait Gallery after Vance claimed the show featured woke and divisive content, Fox News Digital first reported. The Associated Press contributed to this report.