Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first Black secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and co-founder of its African American history museum, announced Tuesday he is retiring by the end of the year following months of escalating clashes and political pressure from the Trump administration.
A Career Defined by Historic Milestones
Lonnie Bunch’s departure marks the end of nearly four decades of service at the Smithsonian that began in 1978 when he worked at the National Air and Space Museum.
His most notable institutional achievement came when he was tapped in 2005 to build the National Museum of African American History and Culture from the ground up.
In 2019, Bunch assumed the role of Smithsonian secretary, becoming the first African American to hold the post in the institution’s 173-year history.
“You make sure that the scholarship is sound, that the things you want to do are not shaped by politics but shaped by the research.”
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Smithsonian Secretary
Escalating Friction With the White House
Bunch’s retirement arrives at one of the most politically fraught moments in the Smithsonian’s 180-year history. Since President Donald Trump’s second term began in 2025, the administration has pursued an aggressive campaign to reshape how the cultural organization portrays American history.
In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order pushing for institutional changes and the removal of what the administration termed improper ideology. The White House subsequently launched an internal review focusing on eight prominent Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of American History, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Tensions intensified over the summer when the White House Domestic Policy Council released a report titled Saving America’s Story: How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage.
The report branded museum leaders as radical activists who could not be trusted to tell history in a unifying way.
Following the report, Trump ordered federal officials to install signs in front of the U.S. history museum telling visitors that some exhibits presented inaccurate information. Dr. Anthea Hartig, director of the National Museum of American History, pushed back during congressional hearings, asserting that the report mischaracterized the museum’s body of work.
Transition Plans and Board Oversight
While the administration cannot unilaterally remove Smithsonian executives—unlike its swift intervention at the Kennedy Center—the political pressure has been relentless. Bunch told reporters that the friction played no role in his personal choice to step down, pointing instead to the personal toll of decades of demanding work.
“I have to be honest, it has been stressful. And at a certain point, I’d like to wake up in the morning and not look at my cellphone.”
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Smithsonian Secretary
The power to choose the next secretary rests with the institution’s 17-member Board of Regents, which is led by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and includes Vice President JD Vance, members of Congress from both parties, and citizen regents. Chief Justice Roberts praised Bunch’s tenure in an official statement.
“The Regents, and the Smithsonian, have benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, Smithsonian Chancellor
