Culture Crash

You can put him in a tux, but that won’t make him cultured

Credit: Getty Images

One of the great joys of my life has been to witness how America has evolved from a place of overt racism and exclusion to a more inclusive and tolerant nation. We’re not perfect — far from it. But we have greatly improved over the years.

These eyes have seen the pain our fellow countrymen can inflict on one another. The hate at Klan rallies I covered so long ago; the powerful message of hope I witnessed from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We did learn how to treat one another better. Until we didn’t. Until suddenly a new president demanded we turn back the clock.

There is a need in the country now to recognize that most of the outrageous actions of Donald Trump over the last few months are not just about governing but about forcing us to bend our whole culture to his will.

The fact that the demographic makeup of the United States is changing quickly has not been lost on the president. Nor on the country as a whole. Currently, the country is 58% white, but that proportion is trending downward. By 2050, it is estimated that white people may be in the minority nationwide. If not a minority then at most a plurality, which is to say they will be less than 50% but still more than any other racial group.

These trends terrify people like Trump, who are ruthlessly determined to keep white people, especially white men, in power. Trump’s credo to “make America great again” ignores the reality that the America he longs for wasn’t great for a lot of people–but especially women and people of color.

Trump has inserted himself into just about every aspect of American life — beyond politics and governance. He is staging a cultural revolution reminiscent of the one in China in the 1960s and ‘70s that destroyed much of the country’s heritage and suppressed intellectual thought.

Trump wants to fundamentally change the culture of our country to reflect not America as it is today, but as it once was, controlled by an old, white, conservative patriarchy. He is attempting to turn back the tide of what he calls left “woke” messaging in everything from university curriculum to Hollywood movies to elementary school reading lists.

To solidify his utopia of a white Christian nation, Trump has infiltrated and appropriated control of some of the most revered cultural institutions in America.

Library of Congress
One of the oldest and most important cultural bodies in the country is the Library of Congress. It was created in 1800 and today houses 26 million books and 136 million items such as maps, sheet music, photographs, and historic documents, in six buildings. It is “the largest and most inclusive library in human history” and considered the definitive archive of the United States.

As a legislative branch agency, it is under the purview of Congress. But that didn’t stop Trump from firing Carla Hayden, previously the librarian of Congress. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that Hayden had done things that “were quite concerning … in the pursuit of DEI, and putting inappropriate books in the library for children.” The Library of Congress is not a traditional library. The only people who are supposed to be able to remove items from it are members of Congress.

After removing Hayden without cause, Trump sent two Justice Department officials to take over the Library and the U.S. Copyright Office. Library staff rebuffed their efforts and called the Capitol Police. In a rare move, Congress criticized Trump’s attempted takeover. While one should applaud this move, perhaps it is a day late and a dollar short. Where was this Congress when the president illegally imposed tariffs or canceled billions of dollars in already appropriated funds or sent the Marines to patrol an American city?

“Democracies are not to be taken for granted. And the institutions that support democracy should not be taken for granted,” Hayden said in warning to CBS News.

The Smithsonian
The Smithsonian, founded in 1846, is an independent cultural institution made up of 21 museums, 21 libraries, 14 education and research centers, historic landmarks, and a zoo “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” It welcomes 30 million visitors every year and is run by a board of regents consisting of three U.S. senators, three representatives, and members of the public.

Trump’s first shot at the historic institute came in the form of an executive order in March called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” It criticized the Smithsonian for coming “under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and for promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

Earlier this month, he called for a “comprehensive internal review” of eight Smithsonian museums. In a move reminiscent of McCarthyism, a letter from the White House stated, “This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”

The holistic attack demanded information about artwork choices, exhibition planning, social media content, curatorial process, and programming decisions. The White House has given the Smithsonian 120 days to bring the institution in line with Trump’s reactionary cultural directives.

Taking to social media once again, Trump dumped all over the organization: “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”

The American Alliance of Museums countered. “Freedom of thought and expression are foundational American values, and museums uphold them by creating spaces where people can engage with history, science, art, and culture in ways that are honest, fact-based, and thought-provoking.”

Honest, fact-based thought is exactly what this president is trying to extinguish.

The Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the cultural hub of Washington, D.C. It hosts hundreds of plays, concerts, and dance performances every year. The center celebrates and promotes American artistic talent, while serving as the official residence of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.

Trump set his sights on the Kennedy Center early on, ousting the board of directors in January and installing himself as chairman. No president in its 54-year history has ever done so.

The new board, consisting mostly of people with little or no background in the arts, has been charged with overhauling the center’s programming. “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA — ONLY THE BEST,” Trump posted.

As the new chairman, Trump had his name added to the others etched in marble on the wall in the Hall of States. He has joked — perhaps — that he plans to rename the Kennedy Center for himself. Because of Trump’s heavy-handed running of the Kennedy Center, many artists have postponed or canceled their appearances, and ticket sales have plummeted.

PBS & NPR
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act into law 60 years ago, making way for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).

Last month, after a threatening social media post in which Trump wrote, “Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement.” Congress rescinded $1.1 billion it had already allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB, a private nonprofit that distributes federal money to public media, including PBS and NPR, is closing in light of the funding cut. But this does not necessarily mean Cookie Monster and company will be looking for a new home.

Fifteen percent of PBS’s annual operating budget comes from federal funds; for NPR, the figure is only 2%. Though both entities have had to tighten their budgetary belts, they believe the difference can be made up with fundraising. They have reason to be optimistic. Since the funding cuts, donations have poured in.

The real concern is for the more than 1000 smaller member radio and TV stations, many in rural areas, that are relied on for news and emergency alerts. NPR estimates 18% of those stations will close.

A recent Harris poll found that 66% of Americans support federal funding for public radio, including 58% of Republicans.

Of course Trump is doing more, much more, to move the needle backward. Almost every executive action is about not improving our nation, but rebranding America with a Trump logo. After rescinding all National Endowment for the Humanities grants, Trump then authorized $34.8 million for projects focusing on presidents and statesmen ahead of the party he is planning for America’s 250th birthday next July.

That celebration is the perfect excuse to further impose his cultural agenda and consolidate his push for us all to live under an autocratic white nationalist regime (if not a straight-up dictatorship). He is using the power of the presidency to rewrite American history and destroy our culture as we have known it — and remake the nation in his sordid image.

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Stay Steady,
Dan