Raskin proposes preserving Trump banners in Washington and signs in Smithsonian exhibit

• Trump’s desire to remake DC’s physical and cultural landscape in his image is reflected in banners bearing his face on government buildings and attempts to rename institutions with his name.
• The administration also unveiled plans last month to issue warnings accusing Smithsonian leaders of promoting “personal and radical ideologies.”

Driving the news: Raskin’s bill directs the Smithsonian secretary to collect and display the sprawling portraits of Trump hanging outside federal agencies at the Museum of American History.

• It also calls for preserving signage or “artifacts” related to Trump’s planned warning signs accusing the museum of “ideological capture.”
• The proposed new exhibit would also include stories of Americans “who resisted and opposed the rise of authoritarianism.”
• It also calls for signs that read, in part, “Donald Trump ordered the installation of these signs without any authorization from Congress, as required by the Constitution.”

What they say: “Unlike President Trump’s plan to censor, whitewash, and fictionalize American history, my legislation will forever preserve his manifestations of authoritarian narcissism and his propagandistic attack on American history and American democracy,” Raskin said in a statement.

• The White House did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.

Catch up quickly: The Smithsonian has been caught in the crosshairs of the president’s Washington residency and his government-wide DEI purge that has targeted so-called “woke ideology.”

• Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch has announced his retirement after more than three decades with the world’s largest museum, education and research complex.

What’s next: The Smithsonian’s next leader will likely lead the institution under continued pressure from Trump — and through the fallout that will follow.

Go further: Lonnie Bunch is leaving. The fight for the Smithsonian is not