The Democrats love to play this little game where they pretend to speak for the majority of the country while living in isolated ideological bubbles. When you don't talk to anyone who disagrees with you politically, of course you think your views reflect the majority. They forget that a vast swath of this country — that flyover country they hold so much disdain for — is populated by people who do not agree with them on the issues.
So when Rep. Melanie Stansbury says the Smithsonian "belongs to the American people" she's lying. What she really means is it belongs to the American people she agrees with ideologically.
The Smithsonian does not belong to the President, to the Administration, or to any politician. It belongs to the American people.
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) September 18, 2026
Period.
We’re here today to say Hands Off the Smithsonian! pic.twitter.com/9Daa18o7wT
See, 77.3 million Americans voted for President Trump in 2024, in part to address the issues that were plaguing our institutions of higher learning and culture, like the Smithsonian.
This is what the Smithsonian promoted, lest we forget.
The Smithsonian promoted this racist trash: pic.twitter.com/fyma8VOTfl
— Marcus Mendoza (@MendozaVictor50) September 18, 2026
This is absolutely racist, and not just against white Americans. I would argue it's more racist against non-white communities, because it's arguing that they're not capable of being independent; they can't have a solid family structure; they're incapable of rational thinking; they can't work hard; and they're rude.
One of the best exchanges in Congress was Rep. Brandon Gill excoriating Smithsonian Director Anthea Hartig.
Rep. Gill: "Is it important to be polite?"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 21, 2026
Smithsonian Director Hartig: "Yes, sir"
Gill: "The Smithsonian lists politeness as an attribute of white supremacy" pic.twitter.com/HH4lefFZ07
That document also attacks the foundations of our legal system, arguing that English common law and property protection are somehow wrong, and that intent shouldn't matter when committing crimes.
The Smithsonian also implied that Founding Father and abolitionist Benjamin Franklin used slaves in his electroshock experiments. What sort of ahistorical garbage is that? Franklin opposed slavery, and there is zero evidence of this claim. Yet the display "pondered" whether or not he'd done such a thing.
If it belongs to "the people," as Stansbury claims, I'm willing to bet a paycheck that most Americans would be appalled by the Smithsonian's definition of "whiteness" and its portrayal of Franklin. I would also wager that Stansbury hasn't talked to anyone outside the beltway about these issues, either.
And there's a reason for that. She doesn't believe the Smithsonian belongs to "the people." She believes it belongs to her people. That is, her voters and her ideological allies, both in and outside of D.C. This is nothing more than political grandstanding, the performative act of a politician who holds half the nation in contempt and thinks the other half is the only one that matters. The people voted two years ago, and they chose President Trump. Which means he's doing exactly what the people wanted, at the Smithsonian and elsewhere.
