Lonnie Bunch Says He Will Resign As Secretary Of The Smithsonian Amid Trump Administration Attacks And Pressure On Institution

Lonnie Bunch, who has led the Smithsonian as its secretary for the past seven years, said that he will step down at the end of the year.

His departure comes amid repeated criticism from the Trump administration over how the institution depicts and descrives historical events and figures.

In an interview with The New York Times, Bunch said that the pressure from the administration did not lead to his departure, but it “was really just saying, now’s the time.”

In a statement, Bunch said, “There is no place like the Smithsonian—it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together. I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.”

The Smithsonian has enjoyed a long history of independence from the executive branch. It was created by Congress and is overseen by a Board of Regents chaired by Chief Justice John Roberts.

In a statement, Roberts said, “From his days as a young curator at the National Air and Space and American History Museums through his tenure as the founding director of the African American History and Culture Museum and culminating in his distinguished service for the past seven years in the Smithsonian’s top job, Secretary Bunch has pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story. The Regents, and the Smithsonian, have benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership.”

In July, the Trump administration released a report on the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History that claimed it was captured by “radical, activist ideology.” That included criticisms of its Entertainment Nation wing. A number of historians’ associations pushed back, with the Organization of American Historians calling the report “part of a broad attempt to return the nation to a vision of America that never actually existed and that serves the ends of superficial patriotism.”