Smithsonian Chief Resigning Amid Fights With Trump

The leader of the Smithsonian Institution is leaving after seven years in the post, the last of which have been marked by friction with the Trump administration, reports the Washington Post. Lonnie G. Bunch III, who founded the National Museum of African American History and Culture and became the Smithsonian's first Black secretary, will retire by year's end after nearly four decades at the institution. "I have to be honest, it has been stressful," the 73-year-old historian tells the New York Times, referring to the White House battles. "And at a certain point, I'd like to wake up in the morning and not look at my cellphone."

However, Bunch said he was not leaving because of the pressure but because the time was right for him personally. His exit lands in the middle of an aggressive push by President Trump to reshape how the Smithsonian tells the nation's story, including threats to funding and demands for "content corrections" on exhibits about race, slavery, immigration, and gender identity. Bunch has defended the museum's independence and scholarship, saying his final mission is to ensure a smooth handoff to a successor who will "protect the institution." The next secretary will be chosen by the institution's 17-member Board of Regents, which is led by Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and includes members of Congress, private citizens, and Vice President JD Vance.