Smithsonian Institution secretary to retire amid Trump attacks on museum independence
‘I have to be honest, it has been stressful,’ Lonnie Bunch III says
TL;DR
- Lonnie Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, is retiring at the end of the year.
- Bunch cited personal reasons for his departure but acknowledged the stress from President Trump's attacks on the museum.
- Trump's administration had accused the Smithsonian of being influenced by a "divisive, race-centered ideology" and sought to align its content with his policies.
- The president attempted to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery, but Bunch asserted his authority.
- Bunch, a historian, strategically chose his battles to protect the institution.
- Bunch's replacement will be chosen by the Smithsonian's board of regents.