The Smithsonian will reinstate Trump in the impeachment exhibit

The Smithsonian Institution announced Saturday, via a statement, that it will reinstate all information about President Donald Trump's two impeachment trials in its permanent exhibit at the National Museum of American History.

The announcement comes after The Washington Post revealed that, in July, the museum had quietly removed a poster detailing the Republican president's impeachments, returning the exhibit to its original 2008 format, which only listed Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton as presidents who faced impeachment proceedings.

The exhibit in question, titled "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden," has included, since 2021, a temporary sign with a caption reading "Case in redesign (story is in development)," explaining the two impeachment processes faced by Trump during his presidency.

The first impeachment, in 2019, was for alleged abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after pressuring the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden.  The second, in 2021, was for the events of January 6 on Capitol Hill. In both cases, Trump was acquitted by the Senate. In the case of the first impeachment trial, history virtually redeemed him after corrupt Ukrainian business ties were revealed to former President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who touted access to his father for beneficial business deals abroad. Many Republicans charged at the time that Joe Biden may have violated the law if he participated in the deals, but the allegations were never substantiated.

The WaPo also reported that the removal of the Trump impeachment poster came as part of a "legacy content review" and in a context of White House pressure to remove a museum director. However, this version was flatly denied by the institution.

"We were not asked by any Administration or other government official to remove content from the exhibit," the Smithsonian said in an official statement.

The institution also defended its initial decision to remove the poster.

“The placard, which was meant to be a temporary addition to a twenty-five year-old exhibition, did not meet the museum’s standards in appearance, location, timeline, and overall presentation,” the Smithsonian explained. “It was not consistent with other sections in the exhibit and moreover blocked the view of the objects inside its case. For these reasons, we removed the placard.”

Despite defending its position, the institution confirmed that the section dedicated to the impeachment trial of the Republican leader will be updated soon: "The section in question, Impeachment, will be updated in the coming weeks to reflect all impeachment proceedings in our nation’s history."