Lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) – Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution after a tumultuous year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S.

What happened

Bunch remarked in a news release Tuesday that he was departing the position he had held since 2019 "with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude." The Smithsonian stated he would leave the post at the end of the year.

As radical activists who cannot be trusted, an indication that Trump could be preparing to install his own team, bunch's departure comes two months after a White House report branded the leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History.

Anthea M. Hartig, the first female director of that museum, faced growing scrutiny from Trump and other Republicans over the summer after the White House Domestic Policy Council's report saying the museum's leadership doesn't tell history "in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic."

The bottom line

In short, lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.