David W. Blight, Professor of History (Yale University), has written an op-ed published in The New York Times, responding to the Trump administration’s attack on the Smithsonian Institution.
He writes that “On Thursday President Trump issued an executive order, ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.’ In Mr. Trump’s customary bluster, the order bursts with accusations against unnamed persons who are presumably my fellow historians and museum curators for our ‘concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our nation’s history.'”
Blight observes that “The order’s repeated invocation of the Smithsonian Institution echoes now-familiar right-wing goals outlined in Project 2025 and elsewhere: ending the alleged ‘woke’ agendas on race and gender, creating ‘parents’ rights’ and school choices and promoting history aligned with founders’ ‘values.’
“According to the president, ‘objective facts’ have been replaced with a ‘distorted narrative driven by ideology.’ And then comes that penetrating epithet, the order’s organizing logic: the desire to end the ‘revisionist movement’ carried out by unnamed historians.”
Blight is a specialist in the history of the American Civil War and the author of Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory (Harvard University Press, 2001), Frederick Douglass’s Civil War: Keeping Faith in Jubilee (LSU Press, 1989), and many other historical books and articles. He currently serves as President of the Organization of American Historians, the leading organization of professional historians who work on the History of the United States. Blight is well positioned to analyze President Trump’s executive order and assess its arguments.
Blight rightly argues that “The order is nothing less than a declaration of political war on the historians’ profession, our training and integrity, as well as on the freedom — in the form of curious minds — of anyone who seeks to understand our country by visiting museums or historic sites.”
The Trump administration at its so-called DOGE team may destroy many historical institutions, but their attempts to control historical research, writing, and education simply cannot win, Blight argues.
“In this naïve effort to control how the past is recorded and interpreted, the Trump administration has stepped into a minefield. While it remains unclear how much will change as a result of the executive order, it is already evident that the administration has started a war it cannot win in the long run.”
Ultimately, no single person or organization can control historical representations of the past.
Blight, David W. “Trump Cannot Win His War on History.” The New York Times (31 March 2025).
The Trump administration and its so-called DOGE team is now dismantling the entire the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as part of its ongoing attack on research and higher education in the United States.
NPR reports that “The Institute of Museum and Library Services has placed its entire staff on administrative leave.”
The IMLS is the federal agency that provides support for library and museum research and programming across the United States. Local, state, and university libraries rely on IMLS support for their initiatives and programs.
NPR indicates that “The IMLS is a relatively small federal agency, with around 70 employees, that awards grant funding to museums and libraries across the country.”
“Earlier this month, President Trump named Keith E. Sonderling — deputy secretary of labor — the new acting director of IMLS. This followed Trump’s previous executive order, shrinking seven federal agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services,” according to NPR.
“According to a statement from AFGE Local 3403, which represents IMLS workers, the agency’s staff were notified by email about the administrative leave via after a ‘brief meeting between DOGE staff and IMLS leadership.’ Employees had to turn in government property, and email accounts were disabled.”
“The IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides grants to libraries and museums across the country. According to the American Library Association, the IMLS provides ‘a majority of federal library funds.’ The IMLS says it has awarded $266 million in grant funding and research to cultural institutions last year. This money goes to help staff, maintenance and create new programs.”
A fellow researcher at Northern Illinois University, where I teach, has been developing a research grant proposal this academic year and recently submitted it to the IMLS. Now, it seems that there will be no one there to evaluate the proposal.
The IMLS mission statement reads “The mission of IMLS is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. The agency carries out its charge as it adapts to meet the changing needs of our nation’s museums and libraries and their communities. IMLS’s mission is essential to helping these institutions navigate change and continue to improve their services.”
President Trump, Elon Musk, and his so-called DOGE team have now completely undermined that mission and threatened library and museum services that serve U.S. citizens all across the nation.
Limbong, Andrew. “Entire Staff at Federal Agency that Funds Libraries and Museums Put on Leave.” NPR (31 March 2025).
A group of over 570 university and college presidents have condemned the Trump administration’s violations of students’ constitutional rights.
The higher education leaders who are members of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration are acting to protect international students, postdocs, and faculty members. I am proud to say that Lisa C. Freeman, President of Northern Illinois University, has signed on to this organization’s important statement.
President Trump and his administration have repeatedly threatened international students and violated their constitutional rights. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has improperly revoked valid international student visas without due process, sometimes clearly in retaliation for students’ participation in peaceful protests. This violates First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly, which pertain equally to all persons legally in in the United States, not just U.S. citizens.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have illegally detained international students, postdocs, and faculty members without due process. They have also illegally detained some United States citizens who they mistakenly assumed to be non-citizens. Customs agents have improperly and illegally denied entry to international researchers traveling to the United States. The Trump administration has illegally deported international students and faculty members, and it seeks to deport more international students as part of its ongoing campaign against higher education and research.
Northern Illinois University President Lisa C. Freeman has issued the following statement:
Across the nation, noncitizen students and scholars are facing great uncertainty and anxiety because of recent federal actions. Reports of more than 300 student and scholar visas being revoked, and individuals being detained or deported for expressing viewpoints deemed offensive by the federal government, are deeply concerning. As a member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, NIU joins more than 570 universities and colleges in calling on the administration to respect an individual’s constitutional rights to free speech and due process.
International and undocumented students and scholars are valued, contributing members of our NIU community. The university is actively supporting them in their teaching, learning, status compliance and overall well-being. Our community should be mindful that an individual’s immigration status is protected information (in accordance with legel and ethical standards) to uphold privacy, ensure personal safety and prevent discrimination.
Our country is experiencing rapid change, uncertainty and heightened division. While some might find it validating, others might feel infuriated. As Huskies, we have the opportunity to demonstrate respect and care, recognizing that we are all here in pursuit of knowledge and growth. Remember, success includes asking for help. Please do not hesitate to utilize the university’s resources, such as the Center for Student Assistance, Counseling and Consultation Services, Employee Well-being or the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost to support your success and help you finish the semester strong.
Together Forward,
Lisa C. Freeman President
The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration‘s statement reads:
In light of reports of over 300 international student visas that have been revoked and the recent detentions of noncitizen students and other campus members in the U.S., the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration issued the following statement:
The Presidents’ Alliance is highly alarmed by recent immigration enforcement actions targeting noncitizen students, faculty and staff, condemns the detention of international students, and urgently calls on the Administration to respect their constitutional rights, including the First Amendment’s protection of speech and the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.
Recent immigration enforcement operations —including apprehending and detaining international students and revoking student visas— appear to lack clear cause or be based on political speech or association and raise serious concerns about fairness, due process, freedom from arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement, and other constitutional protections. The government’s actions and rhetoric create an atmosphere of fear, threaten academic freedom, chill free expression, and jeopardize the well-being of noncitizen members of our campus communities.
U.S. colleges and universities are unmatched centers of learning, discovery, and training. We draw students, scholars, and researchers from across the nation and around the world to learn together, advance knowledge, foster innovation, and contribute to economic growth and global security. Our higher education institutions cultivate domestic and global talent essential to U.S. scientific and technological advancement and all sectors of society. International and immigrant students, faculty, and staff on our campuses and in our communities are integral to America’s leadership in STEM, healthcare, business, teaching, innovation, the arts, and the workforce of tomorrow.
We strongly support the right of both citizens and noncitizens, including international students, to engage in peaceful expression. Academic freedom, freedom of inquiry, and freedom of individual expression are foundational values central to the mission of U.S. higher education and our country’s core democratic principles. These commitments are fully consistent with our responsibilities under state and federal laws, including those related to national security. Upholding these principles strengthens—not undermines—our ability to foster the secure, inclusive, and vibrant academic communities that have made our nation a global leader.
We stand with colleges and universities taking proactive steps to support their communities—citizen and noncitizen alike—and to prepare for the challenges posed by these deeply disturbing immigration enforcement actions. The Presidents’ Alliance is prepared to assist institutions with guidance and resources.
For more information, see the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration website.
Historians are acting to defend the Smithsonian Institution and its mission of providing historical research and education to United States citizens through research, publications, and museum exhibitions.
The American Historical Association (AHA), the flagship academic association of professional historians in the United States, has already taken actions to defend the Smithsonian Institution.
The AHA reports that “The American Historical Association has released a statement in support of the Smithsonian Institution, the target of the recent executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” This order ‘egregiously misrepresents the work of the Smithsonian Institution’ and ‘completely misconstrues the nature of historical work.'”
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has been particularly targeted by the Trump administration. However, the executive order clearly targets other Smithsonian museums that have historical exhibits, including the American History Museum, American Indian Museum, Asian Art Museum, National Museum of the American Latino (in development), and the American Women’s History Museum (in development).
The AHA statement argues that “The Executive Order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” issued on March 27 by the White House, egregiously misrepresents the work of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian is among the premier research institutions in the world, widely known for the integrity of its scholarship, which is careful and based on historical and scientific evidence. The Institution ardently pursues the purpose for which it was established more than 175 years ago: “the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The accusation in the White House fact sheet accompanying the executive order claims that Smithsonian museums are displaying “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology.” This is simply untrue; it misrepresents the work of those museums and the public’s engagement with their collections and exhibits. It also completely misconstrues the nature of historical work.”
The AHA website indicates that “AHA executive director Jim Grossman was quoted in the New York Times and appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered and Morning Edition on the work of the Smithsonian and its importance to the public.”
French politician Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) political party, has been found guilty of embezzling millions of euros in European Parliament funds.
She was found guilty of using the European Union funds illegally to pay her political party members and political supporters affiliated with her Rassemblement National party and its predecessor, the Front National (National Front)—sometimes by giving them jobs involving no work.
Le Monde reports that “Marine Le Pen a peut-être perdu sa dernière chance d’accéder à l’Elysée. Reconnue coupable de détournement de fonds publics par le tribunal correctionnel de Paris, lundi 31 mars, dans l’affaire des assistants parlementaires du Front national (FN), la députée du Pas-de-Calais a été condamnée à une peine de quatre ans d’emprisonnement dont deux ans ferme, aménageable avec un bracelet électronique, 100 000 euros d’amende, et cinq ans d’inéligibilité. Conformément aux réquisitions du parquet, énoncées le 13 novembre 2024, cette dernière peine est assortie d’une exécution provisoire, ce que l’élue craignait avant toute chose.”
The New York Times provides a report in English: “Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, was found guilty of embezzlement by a criminal court in Paris on Monday and immediately barred from running for public office for five years, jeopardizing her plans to compete in France’s 2027 presidential election.”
“The verdict was a major blow to the perennial presidential ambitions of Ms. Le Pen, an anti-immigrant, nationalist politician who has already mounted three failed bids. Looking grim and murmuring ‘incredible,’ she walked briskly out of the courtroom before the judges had completed reading her sentence.”
The sentence bars Marine Le Pen from running for political office in France for the next five years, effective immediately.
“The court also sentenced Ms. Le Pen, 56, to four years in prison, with two of those years suspended, and a fine of 100,000 euros, or about $108,000. She has long denied any wrongdoing in the case, which involved accusations that her party, the National Rally, illegally used several million euros in European Parliament funds for expenses between 2004 and 2016,” according to The New York Times.
“She is widely expected to appeal the verdict, which would put most of her sentence on hold, but not the ban on running for public office. The court ruled that her electoral ineligibility is effective immediately. As a result, only a successful appeal before the 2027 deadline to enter the race would allow her to run.”
Marine Le Pen will surely appeal the decision, but it seems unlikely that any appeal would proceed quickly enough to be adjudicated prior to the deadline to file a candidacy for the upcoming French Presidential Election in 2027.
The Guardian reports on the impact of the sentence: “The decision was a political earthquake for Le Pen, the leader of the far-right anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party, who had hoped to mount a fourth campaign to become president. Le Pen, 56, said before the verdict that that any immediate ban on running for election would be like a ‘political death sentence’ and that judges had ‘the power of life or death over our movement.’ She is likely to immediately appeal against the verdict.”
Following the verdict Jordan Bardella emerges as the most likely National Rally presidential candidate, but at 29 years old, many political observers consider him to young and unexperienced to run.
Leseur, Corentin. “La candidature de Marine Le Pen à la présidentielle en 2027 compromise après sa condamnation à une peine d’inéligibilité avec exécution provisoire.” Le Monde (31 March 2025).
Breeden, Aurelien and Roger Cohen. “Le Pen Barred From French Presidential Run After Embezzlement Ruling.” The New York Times (31 March 2025).
Chrisafis, Angelique. “Marine Le Pen Barred from Running for French Presidency in 2027.” The Guardian (31 March 2025).
The French public awaits the verdict in Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement trial, which is expected to conclude tomorrow (Monday 31 March).
Le Pen is the leader of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) political party, which has has its roots in the previous Front National (National Front) party founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine’s father.
“Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, has tried and failed three times to become president. Now, even as her popularity rises, she may be barred from taking part in an election to lead France if she is found guilty of embezzlement on Monday,” according to The New York Times.
“Such a verdict, far from certain, has been equated by Ms. Le Pen with a ‘political death’ sentence and a ‘very violent attack on the will of the people.’ It would ignite a major political storm at a time when the French Fifth Republic has appeared increasingly dysfunctional.”
“On the one hand stands the principle, as Nicolas Barret, one of the prosecutors, put it in closing arguments last year, that ‘We are not here in a political arena but a legal one, and the law applies to all.’
“On the other hand lies the fear, expressed by some leading politicians, that a ban would undermine French democracy by feeding a suspicion that it is skewed against the growing forces of the hard right.”
The charges against Marine Le Pen are quite serious. “Prosecutors have accused Ms. Le Pen and other members of the National Rally of embezzling some $4.8 million in European Union funds, essentially through no-show jobs at the European Parliament for lawmaker ‘assistants,’ who were rarely there and worked as party staff.”
Scholars of French history and culture, including members of the Society for French Historical Studies and the Western Society for French History, are following the political developments closely.
Cohen, Roger. “Possible Electoral Ban on Marine Le Pen Has France on Edge.” The New York Times (30 March 2025).
The Trump administration has launched a direct attack on the historical exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, D.C., opening a new front in the ongoing Culture Wars.
“The US president, who has sought to root out ‘wokeness’ since returning to power in January, accused the Smithsonian of trying to rewrite history on issues of race and gender. In an executive order entitled ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History”, he directed the removal of ‘improper, divisive or anti-American ideology’ from its storied museums,” according to The Guardian.
Trump’s executive order claims that “Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence and a global icon of cultural achievement, the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology. … This shift has promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”
“The move was met with dismay from historians who saw it as an attempt to whitewash the past and suppress discussions of systemic racism and social justice. With Trump having also taken over the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, there are fears that, in authoritarian fashion, he is aiming to control the future by controlling the past.”
Historians across the United States are responding to President Trump’s executive order and its anti-democratic aims of establishing presidential control over the presentation of the history of the United States in the Smithsonian museums.
‘”It is a five-alarm fire for public history, science and education in America,’ said Samuel Redman, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. ‘While the Smithsonian has faced crisis moments in the past, it has not been directly attacked in quite this way by the executive branch in its long history. It’s troubling and quite scary,'” according to The Guardian.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture seems to be at the center of the Trump administration’s assault on historical education. Lonnie G. Bunch III was the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture and is now President of the Smithsonian Institution.
The Guardian reports that “David Blight, a historian and close friend of Bunch, the Smithsonian’s secretary, said: “I haven’t talked to him yet. I’m sure he’s trying to decide what to do. I hope he doesn’t resign but that’s probably what they want. They want the leadership of the Smithsonian, the directors of these museums, to resign so they can replace them.'”
“Blight, who is the current president of the Organization of American Historians, was ‘appalled, angry, frustrated but not fully surprised”, when he read the executive order. ‘There have been plenty of other executive orders but this is a frontal assault,’ he said. ‘I read it as basically a declaration of war on American historians and curators and on the Smithsonian,'” according to The Guardian. “‘What’s most appalling about this is the arrogance, or worse, the audacity to assume that the executive branch of government, the presidency, can simply dictate to American historians writ large the nature of doing history and its content.'”
David Blight is correct to point out that “I take it as an insult, an affront and an attempt to control what we do as historians. On the one hand this kind of executive order is so absurd that a lot of people in my field laugh at it. It’s a laughable thing until you realise what their intent actually is and what they’re doing is trying to first erode and then obliterate what we’ve been writing for a century.”
Trump’s executive order is also linked with broader authoritarian aims of altering and controlling historical records in the libraries and archives of the United States by withholding funds and dismantling the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
The Trump administration and its DOGE team are currently dismantling the Department of Education and disrupting educational grants. The Trump administration is attempting to influence educational curricula in universities, colleges, and high schools across the nation by withholding research grants and educational funds.
Foreign Affairs, a leading academic journal on international relations, is hosting a Virtual Graduate Fair for prospective graduate students in international affairs.
Here is the announcement from Foreign Affairs:
Free to all prospective students, the Foreign Affairs Virtual Graduate School Fair will connect you directly with representatives at top programs in international affairs, public policy, diplomacy, and political science – all from the comfort of your home, office, phone, or tablet.
As a graduate school candidate, you have the ability to explore school program information and opportunities. Choose which schools you want to interact with and then engage in one-on-one text and video conversations directly with a representative at those institutions. Join us on April 2, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST.
For more information and the registration link, see:
The Trump administration is deliberately targeting international students at universities across the country on the basis of their political speech.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have already unlawfully detained several international students who were legally in the United States on student visas in order to pursue studies at universities and colleges.
This is a gross violation of the free speech and right to assemble provisions of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and a terror tactic of a repressive police state.
“Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The New York Times rightly points out that “Lawful permanent residents are also protected by the Constitution, including free speech and due process rights, which could set up a major legal challenge. Lawyers for those whose student visas have been revoked have similarly challenged the administration on constitutional grounds.”
The revocation of visas and detentions also seem to be conducted without any due process, potentially violating the Fourth and Sixth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
“The Trump administration is trying to deport pro-Palestinian students and academics who are legally in the United States, a new front in its clash with elite schools over what it says is their failure to combat antisemitism,” according to The New York Times.
“The White House asserts that these moves — many of which involve immigrants with visas and green cards — are necessary because those taken into custody threaten national security. But some legal experts say that the administration is trampling on free speech rights and using lower-level laws to crack down on activism.”
The New York Times reports that “Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the State Department under his direction had revoked the visas of roughly 300 people and was continuing to revoke visas daily. He did not specify how many of those people had taken part in campus protests or acted to support Palestinians but said ‘there’s a lot of them now.'”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is actively and willfully directing this unconstitutional policy and has sought to justify his actions with statements to the news media.
“Immigration officials are known to have pursued at least nine people in apparent connection to this effort since the start of March.”
This policy is unconstitutional and an abuse of power by Secretary of State and the Department of Homeland Security.
The outrageous policy also violates the principle of academic freedom, which are long-standing norms in the United States, even if not rooted in the U.S. Constitution.
Selig, Kate. “What We Know About the Detentions of Student Protesters.” The New York Times (27 March 2025).
The New York Times has also published video of ICE’s detention of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University.
“Just hours after opening its new program for American researchers called Safe Place for Science in reaction to Trump administration policies, Aix Marseille University received its first application,” according to The New York Times.
“Since then, the university, which is in the south of France and is known for its science programs, has received about a dozen applications per day from what the school considers ‘scientific asylum’ seekers.”
I was actually in Marseille for an academic workshop when the university launched its Safe Place for Science program and witnessed the French and international responses to it.
The workshop in Marseille was focused on Guerres de Religion et Changement Climatique (Religious Wars and Climate Change). Jérémie Foa, Maître de Conférences HDR (Aix-Marseille Université and TELEMMe), and I had organized this workshop during the preceding months and it was successfully held on 11 March at the Institute for Advanced Study of Aix-Marseille Université (IMéRA).
The IMéRA is an interdisciplinary research institute based on the model of the famous Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, New Jersey. The IMéRA is part of a French network of research institutes and the broader EURIAS network of research institutes across the European Union.
Jérémie Foa and I are currently collaborating on the connections between religious conflict and climate change in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a period associated with the so-called Little Ice Age, when severe cooling shortened growing seasons and disrupted crop growth, producing famines and social crises across the northern hemisphere. Unfortunately, the themes of climate change and climate history would be impossible to get federal research funding for now in the United States. After our successful workshop, we hope to organize a larger conference in Marseille next year, also to be held at the IMéRA.
As a professor from an American university who was already in Marseille when the Safe for Science Program launched, I was invited to participate in discussions at Aix-Marseille Université of the impact of current Trump administration actions targeting research institutions, research funding, and higher education in the United States.
I have already written a detailed post (see below) about the discussions in Marseille and French news organizations’ coverage of the launch of the Safe for Science Program and the press conference held in Marseille.
Two weeks later, The New York Times and other news media in the United States are now starting to report on the “brain drain” of researchers from the United States toward Europe.
“Other universities in France and elsewhere in Europe have also rushed to save American researchers fleeing drastic cuts to jobs and programs by the Trump administration, as well as perceived attacks on whole fields of research.”
The New York Times emphasizes that “at stake are not just individual jobs, but the concept of free scientific inquiry, university presidents say. They are also rushing to fill huge holes in collective research caused by the cuts, particularly in areas targeted by the Trump administration, including studies of climate change, public health, environmental science, gender and diversity.”
Porter, Catherine. “As Trump’s Policies Worry Scientists, France and Others Put Out a Welcome Mat.” The New York Times (25 March 2025).
Brian Sandberg: Historical Perspectives 