Lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution following a tumultuous year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by the Smithsonian museums and other cultural entities.
Bunch said in a news release Tuesday that he was departing the position he had held since 2019 “with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude.” The Smithsonian said he would leave the post at the end of the year.
Bunch’s departure comes two months after a White House report branded the leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, an indication that Trump could be preparing to install his own team.
Anthea M. Hartig, the first female director of that museum, faced growing scrutiny from Trump and other Republicans over the summer after the White House Domestic Policy Council’s report saying the museum’s leadership doesn’t tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”
Three weeks after the report’s release, Trump ordered his administration to install signs in front of the U.S. history museum telling visitors that some of the exhibits are inaccurate. Hartig pushed back, telling lawmakers during congressional hearings that the report “does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum.”
There had been speculation that firings were in the offing. Trump doesn’t have the power to fire leaders at the Smithsonian with the swiftness he’s managed at other top cultural institutions in Washington, most notably the Kennedy Center, where a board of his supporters named him chairman.
The Smithsonian operates outside the executive branch and museum directors report to Bunch, who is subject to oversight from a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and so-called citizen regents.
Roberts, who serves as Smithsonian’s chancellor, said in a release that Bunch had “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story.”
The White House did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The announcement has left questions about some Smithsonian programming. Bunch is scheduled to speak Sept. 25 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture at an event entitled: “Understanding America: 10 Years of Excellence.”
A Smithsonian spokesman said Bunch would be at the event.
The Smithsonian has been under examination by the Trump administration since 2025 as it has focused on the images and messages presented to the public as the nation approached its 250th anniversary.
A March 2025 executive order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, led to signs being changed at federal parks, exhibits being altered or in some cases removed, and military bases being renamed. Trump specifically cited the National Museum of African American History and Culture and argued that the Smithsonian as a whole was engaging in a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history.”
Several months later, the White House ordered a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions before the country’s 250th birthday, with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with Trump’s interpretation of American history.
In a letter sent to Bunch at the time, the White House detailed the steps it expected the organization to take as part of the announced review. The examination covers all public-facing content, including social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,” according to the letter.
That review initially focused on eight 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.
California Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla praised Bunch in a statement for not shying away from the nation’s history. “In the face of Donald Trump’s attacks on the Smithsonian, Secretary Bunch spoke truth to power and reasserted his commitment to defend and uphold American history and values. While I respect his decision to depart, the job now falls to the Board of Regents and Congress to ensure the success of his work will remain for generations to come.”
Former Cowboys player Emmitt Smith sued by investor over wind farm project
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NFL career rushing leader Emmitt Smith is being sued by a Native American investment company over claims that the former Dallas Cowboys running back and his business partners misappropriated a $2.5 million loan that was supposed to fund a wind farm project in Texas.
Kituwah LLC claimed in a lawsuit filed this week in Delaware that 4 13 Solutions used the money to repay an investor from previous dealings with Smith's company. Kituwah seeks to invest in business opportunities for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Kituwah's attorneys said Smith and the Pro Football Hall of Famer's longtime business partner, David Mosley, misrepresented their efforts to secure a U.S. Department of Energy loan that would have triggered repayment to Kituwah.
Kituwah claims the loan has accrued about $600,000 in interest and is asking a jury to determine damages. A message sent to 4 13 Solutions wasn't immediately returned. There was no information on an attorney for Smith or his company in the filing.
According to the lawsuit, Darrel Wilson of Wilson Holdings of North America LLC told Kituwah that he accepted a $2.5 million payment from Smith's company and said he didn't know what triggered the payment. Kituwah's attorneys said it was, “Essentially, like a ponzi scheme.”
Kituwah claims Wilson Holdings was supposed to be repaid only after the wind farm project between Austin and San Antonio, called Project Exodus, secured permanent financing.
“Smith and Mosley knew this was improper,” the lawsuit said. “Instead of telling the truth, they represented to Kituwah that 4 13 Solutions had used the money to acquire Project Exodus as promised, but that the acquisition had been held up for one reason or another.”
The lawsuit claims Smith and his partners never met the requirements for securing government funding and repeatedly made excuses for why the project wasn't proceeding or stopped responding to requests.
Kituwah said it delivered the funds on Sept. 1, 2023, with the expectation of being paid back within months. The lawsuit said 4 13 Solutions promised the wind farm would be operational by December 2024, but Kituwah had seen no evidence the project even existed just a month before that date.
Kituwah said Smith and his partners claimed the wind farm project was valued at $396 million and would generate nearly $14 million in net income in its first year.
The 57-year-old Smith spent the first 13 of his 15 seasons with the Cowboys, won three championships and was the MVP of Super Bowl 28. He broke Walter Payton's rushing record in 2002 and finished with 18,355 yards.
