Smithsonian restores Trump to impeachment display in American history museum The museum removed a placard describing the president’s two impeachments last week. The new text makes minor changes -- and offers slightly less detail.

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A file cabinet that was broken into during the Watergate break-in. (Andre Chung/for The Washington Post)

By Janay Kingsberry

 and 

Maura Judkis

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Friday unveiled an updated impeachment display that now includes context about President Donald Trump’s historic cases — a change the institution made a week after The Washington Post reported that a temporary placard containing his name had been removed from the exhibit as part of a Smithsonian content review prompted by White House pressure to oust a museum director. The new text makes minor changes to — and offers slightly fewer details than — the temporary signage.

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“The National Museum of American History has completed its update to the Impeachment case within ‘The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden’ exhibition,” the Smithsonian said in a statement on Friday. “The updated display now reflects all presidential impeachments. Adhering to principles foundational to our role as the nation’s museum, we take great care to ensure that what we present to the public reflects both intellectual integrity and thoughtful design.”

The statement said that the interim sign, which had been in place from September 2021 until this July, was removed because it was not consistent with other sections of the exhibit and blocked the display case. “We removed it to make way for a more permanent update to the content inside the case,” the Smithsonian said.

The removal drew swift outcry from some members of the public as well as several Democratic leaders. The Smithsonian Institution has faced growing concerns about political interference at the education and research complex amid the Trump administration’s efforts to exert more control over its work.

Of Trump’s first impeachment, the impeachment display now reads: “On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges focused on the president’s alleged solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election and defiance of Congressional subpoenas. Trump was acquitted in January 2020.”

Of his second impeachment, the display reads: “On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection based on his challenge of the 2020 election results and on his speech on January 6. Because Trump’s term ended on Jan. 20, he became the first former president tried by the Senate. He was acquitted on February 13, 2021."

Some edits are evident, including the addition of the word “alleged” in the placard’s description of the conduct that led to Trump’s first impeachment.

Of Trump’s first impeachment, the temporary placard had read: “On December 18, 2019, the House impeached Donald Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges focused on the president’s solicitation of foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election and his defiance of Congressional subpoenas. President Trump was acquitted in January 2020.”

And of his second impeachment, the temporary placard read: “On January 13, 2021, Donald Trump became the first president to be impeached twice. The charge was incitement of insurrection, based on repeated ‘false statements’ challenging the 2020 election results and his January 6 speech that ‘encouraged — and foreseeably resulted in — imminent lawless action at the Capitol.’ Because Trump’s term ended on January 20, his acquittal on February 13 made him the first former president tried by the Senate.”

By Janay Kingsberry

Janay Kingsberry is a staff reporter for Style where she writes features with a gender and identity focus and contributes to the section’s breaking news coverage. She joined The Post in March 2021 as a multiplatform editor for The Lily, skillfully producing content across platforms and writing for the Lily Lines newsletter.follow on X@janaykingsberry

By Maura Judkis

Maura Judkis is a features reporter for The Washington Post. She is a two-time James Beard Award winner. She joined The Post in 2011.