Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) has publicly backed President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at combating what he and others describe as ideological bias at the Smithsonian Institution. Speaking on "Fox & Friends Weekend" on July 25, 2026, Gill praised Trump’s directive to install warning signs along National Park Service walkways outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Gill argued that the Smithsonian has allowed left-wing influence to shape its exhibits, which he said amounts to activism rather than objective history. He called for museum officials to be fired over this alleged bias. "This is the first time, I think, that we've had a president who takes this stuff seriously," Gill said, criticizing previous administrations for ignoring what he described as a "long march" of leftism through institutions.

The executive order mandates that signage notify visitors that museum exhibits should be renovated in line with findings from a recent report and direct visitors to resources providing accurate information about American history. It also calls for temporary exhibits or signage to correct what it terms "inaccurate information presented in the Museum," highlighting the Smithsonian’s alleged failure to properly commemorate America's founding during its 250th anniversary.

Gill emphasized the need for an "actual objective telling of American history," rejecting narratives that categorize people by race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, or immigration status. In the executive order, Trump stated that the museum's leadership "does not present American history as a shared national inheritance to be taught and celebrated, but instead views American history as a 'prime tool' to advance ideas of social justice and the radical transformation of our society."

The issue was also the focus of a House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing titled "Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian's Efforts to Reshape the Past," held on July 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C., where Gill was present.

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