Smithsonian head Lonnie Bunch to retire amid Trump administration effort to reshape institution

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie G. Bunch III testifies during a Senate Rules and Administration Committee hearing on oversight of the Smithsonian Institution, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, in March 2022. Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via CNN Newsource

Lonnie Bunch III said he will retire as the head of the Smithsonian Institution, a role that placed him at the centre of U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the world’s largest museum organization.

“It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Smithsonian,” Bunch said in a statement on Tuesday, adding, “I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.”

Bunch, 73, said in multiple interviews that his retirement was not related to pressure from the Trump administration to make changes to the institution.

It still comes as the Trump administration has increased pressure on the institution, including saying in an Aug. 28 letter that federal agencies may stop working with the Smithsonian if its leadership does not change. The letter cited an earlier report that accused the Smithsonian of moving “toward an extreme political activism that seeks to transform our country.”

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

“Secretary Bunch has pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story,” Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is also chancellor of the Smithsonian, said in a statement, adding, “We look forward to working with him in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.”

Bunch, who has been in the role since 2019, had defended the organization’s independence amid the administration’s intense scrutiny and efforts to assert control over the 180-year-old institution’s content. However, he has also tread a fine political line, complying with the White House’s request to hand over extensive documents about museum exhibitions.

In a July interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Bunch said, “It’s our job to tell an accurate, complex and truthful history.”

However, Trump has taken issue with the Smithsonian’s telling of the past, describing it as “woke” and tasking aides with rooting out what he considers a rewriting of American history at the museums. For example, in a July executive order, the president directed the National Park Service to install temporary signage near the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, warning of “inaccurate information.”

Greg Werkheiser, an attorney involved in multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration over the president’s changes to Washington said in a statement that Bunch’s departure should raise concerns.

“Whatever words are used to describe his departure, it comes after an extraordinary campaign of political pressure on the Smithsonian and its leadership,” Werkheiser said. “The loss here is bigger than one extraordinary public servant. Americans should be deeply concerned whenever political power is used to make the people entrusted with telling our nation’s history fear for their jobs if they tell that history honestly.”

The Smithsonian Board of Regents will choose the next secretary. In addition to Roberts, the board’s members include Vice President JD Vance and Republican and Democratic lawmakers. Some members of the public are also part of the board, and Trump signed an executive order last year directing Vance to seek the appointment of public members who are aligned with his priorities for the institution.

Two of nine public regents’ terms have expired and two other spots will open up by the beginning of October, according to a term chart on the Smithsonian website. This could give Trump a chance to try to expand his influence on the board before the November midterm elections shake up Congress. New board members are appointed via congressional joint resolutions that the president must sign into law.

Before becoming secretary, Bunch served as the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for nearly 14 years, leading the site from when it was just a concept to its opening in 2016.

He served at multiple museums within the institution since he first joined in 1978. He departed the organization for a few years to serve as the president of the Chicago Historical Society.

Bunch has been widely recognized for his work at the Smithsonian, including by receiving multiple awards for his contributions to American culture and history.