Smithsonian: "The Trump Presidency: An American Story"

Question: Is there a way to present information so visitors can make their own conclusions rather than being guided or steered one way or another?

Display 1: "The Golden Escalator Moment"

Visual Elements: Large photograph of Trump descending Trump Tower escalator, June 16, 2015

Artifacts: Campaign announcement speech transcript, early polling data

Display Text: "On June 16, 2015, Donald J. Trump announced his presidential campaign with these words: 'We need a leader that wrote The Art of the Deal. We need a leader that can bring back our jobs, can bring back our manufacturing.' Trump declared, 'I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created.' The announcement marked the beginning of a political movement that would reshape American politics. As Trump stated that day, 'The American dream is dead, but if I get elected president, I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before.' This moment launched a campaign that would culminate in his election as the 45th President of the United States."

Display 2: "Campaign Promises and Populist Appeals"

Visual Elements: Rally photographs, campaign merchandise, vote tallies by county

Artifacts: MAGA hats, campaign buttons, electoral map

Display Text: "Trump's 2016 campaign resonated with working-class Americans across party lines. He criticized trade deals, stating, 'NAFTA is the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.' On globalization, he declared, 'Globalization has made the financial elite who donate to politicians very wealthy, but it has left millions of our workers with nothing but poverty and heartache.'

Comparable Statements from Labor Leaders and Progressives:

Senator Bernie Sanders, 2016: 'The issue of trade is a big, big issue. These trade policies have cost us millions of decent-paying jobs. We have got to end our disastrous trade policies which enable corporate America to shut down plants in this country and move to low-wage countries.'

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, 2017: 'For too long, trade deals have been written by and for multinational corporations at the expense of working families. Working people have paid the price while multinational corporations have reaped massive profits.'

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Twitter, January 21, 2019: 'A system that allows billionaires to exist when there are parts of Alabama where people are still getting ringworm because they don't have access to public health is wrong.'

Trump's Simultaneous Criticism of These Same Voices:

Trump on Bernie Sanders, Twitter, May 26, 2016: 'Crazy Bernie, abandon ship! The Democrats are making up phony rules as they go!'

Trump on AOC, Twitter, July 14, 2019: 'So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe... viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.'

Trump at 2019 rally: 'The Democrat Party has been taken over by the socialist left and they are no longer the party of JFK.'"

Display 3: "Historical Context: Political Messaging Through the Ages"

Visual Elements: Side-by-side propaganda posters from Soviet Union and Nazi Germany with red lines drawn through them, alongside Trump campaign materials

Interactive Element: Timeline of American political rhetoric

Display Text: "Throughout history, authoritarian regimes have used propaganda to maintain power. However, in democratic societies, political messaging operates within constitutional frameworks of free speech and fair elections. Trump's communication style, while unconventional, occurred within America's democratic system where voters could choose their preferred candidate through free and fair elections. As Trump noted, 'I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.' The distinction between democratic political communication and authoritarian propaganda lies not in rhetorical style, but in the presence of constitutional protections, competitive elections, and peaceful transfers of power that characterize American democracy."

Display 4: "Economic Policies and Results"

Visual Elements: Employment charts, manufacturing data, stock market performance, Bureau of Labor Statistics reports

Artifacts: Tax reform legislation excerpts, trade agreement documents

Display Text: "The Trump administration implemented significant economic policies. Trump stated, 'African American unemployment is the lowest it's ever been in the history of our country.'

Bureau of Labor Statistics Data:

• African American unemployment: January 2017: 7.7% | December 2019: 5.9%

• Overall unemployment: January 2017: 4.8% | December 2019: 3.5%

• Manufacturing jobs: January 2017: 12.35 million | February 2020: 12.84 million

Selected Trump Economic Claims with Verifiable Data:

Trump, Twitter, November 10, 2020: 'I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!'

2020 Election Results (Certified by all 50 states):

• Biden: 81,283,501 votes (306 electoral votes)

• Trump: 74,223,975 votes (232 electoral votes)

Trump, October 2020 rally: 'We built the greatest economy in the history of the world.'

GDP Growth Comparison:

• 2017: 2.3% | 2018: 2.9% | 2019: 2.2%

• Reagan era peak (1984): 7.2%

• Clinton era peak (1997): 4.5%

Stock Market Performance:

• Dow Jones: Inauguration Day 19,827 → February 2020 peak 29,551 (+49%)

• S&P 500: Inauguration Day 2,271 → February 2020 peak 3,386 (+49%)"

Display 5: "Immigration and Border Security"

Visual Elements: Border wall construction photos, immigration statistics, photo of traditional Haitian goat stew

Interactive Element: Immigration data comparison tool

Display Text: "Trump Immigration Statements:

Campaign announcement, June 16, 2015: 'When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.'

Presidential debate, September 10, 2024: 'In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in, they're eating the cats. They're eating... they're eating the pets of the people that live there.'

Republican Officials' Direct Responses:

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine, September 16, 2024: 'Look, there's a lot of garbage on the internet, and this is a piece of garbage that was simply not true. There's no evidence of this at all.'

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue (Republican), September 12, 2024: 'In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community.'

Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck, September 11, 2024: 'In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed.'

Conservative Commentary:

Erick Erickson, September 11, 2024: 'The President should stop with the pets stuff. It's not helping and appears to be false.'

Traditional Haitian Cuisine: Haitian immigrants traditionally consume goat, chicken, fish, and rice dishes, as shown in the accompanying photograph of authentic Haitian stew."

Display 6: "Foreign Policy: America First Doctrine"

Visual Elements: Photos with world leaders, military deployment maps, Pentagon budget documents

Artifacts: Foreign policy speeches, international agreement documents

Display Text: "Trump on Military Interventions: 'Great nations do not fight endless wars. We've been fighting in the Middle East for almost 19 years. We've spent $7 trillion in the Middle East. What a mistake.' (2019 State of the Union)

Historical Anti-War Statements:

Senator George McGovern, 1972: 'I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.'

Senator Robert F. Kennedy, 1968: 'We seem willing to use our military power anywhere in the world where our interests are threatened.'

Representative Barbara Lee (sole vote against Afghanistan War authorization), September 14, 2001: 'Military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States. This is just the beginning. We have not identified the guilty parties.'

Trump's Criticism of Anti-War Democrats: Twitter, October 7, 2019: 'The Radical Left Democrats, together with their leader, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, are trying to make Republicans look bad by asking us to Authorize the killing of Isis murderers and leaders. We don't need Congress's Authorization!'

Pentagon Spending Under Trump:

• FY 2017: $590 billion

• FY 2018: $643 billion

• FY 2019: $686 billion

• FY 2020: $714 billion

• FY 2021: $740 billion

Military Actions During Trump Presidency:

• Syria airstrikes: April 7, 2017 (59 Tomahawk missiles); April 14, 2018 (105 missiles)

• Assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani: January 3, 2020

• Drone strikes increased 40% over Obama's final term

Trump Statements on World Leaders:

On Kim Jong Un: 'We fell in love. No really. He wrote me beautiful letters. They were great letters. And then we fell in love.' (September 29, 2018)

Kim Jong Un's Record: United Nations estimates 120,000 people held in political prison camps; public executions including his half-brother and uncle; nuclear weapons development.

On Vladimir Putin: 'He's a leader. Unlike what we have in this country.' (December 17, 2015)

Putin's Record: Opposition leader Alexei Navalny poisoned (2020), imprisoned (2021); journalist Anna Politkovskaya murdered (2006); annexation of Crimea (2014); invasion of Ukraine (2022).

On Traditional Allies: NATO allies: 'They're delinquents... These countries have to pay or we're going out of business.' (January 2017)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel: 'Immigration has been a total disaster in Germany.' (July 2018)"

Display 7: "Media Relations and Communication Style"

Visual Elements: Tweet displays with fact-check annotations, press conference footage

Interactive Element: Side-by-side original statements and documented evidence

Display Text: "Trump stated, February 17, 2017: 'The fake news media is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American people.'

Selected Documented Instances with Independent Sources:

Inauguration Crowd Size - January 21, 2017: Trump statement: 'This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.'

Independent Evidence:

• National Park Service aerial photographs show smaller crowds than Obama 2009

• Nielsen TV ratings: Trump 30.6 million | Obama 37.8 million

• DC Metro ridership: Trump inauguration 570,557 | Obama 2009: 1.1 million

COVID-19 Treatment - April 23, 2020: Trump at press briefing: 'And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or, or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets on the lungs and it does a tremendous number, so it would be interesting to check that. So you're going to have to use medical doctors, but it sounds, it sounds interesting to me.'

Medical Response: CDC issued warning same day: 'Household cleaners and disinfectants can cause health problems when not used properly.'

American Medical Association: 'Under no circumstance should any disinfectant product be administered into the human body.'

2020 Election Claims: Trump, November 7, 2020: 'We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don't want the truth to be exposed.'

Trump, December 2, 2020: 'Massive fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.'

Court Results:

• 62 lawsuits filed by Trump legal team

• 61 dismissed by courts (including Trump-appointed judges)

• 1 minor procedural victory (Pennsylvania observer distance)

• Supreme Court declined to hear Texas v. Pennsylvania"

Display 8: "Political Opposition and Unity"

Visual Elements: Photos from social events, Congressional voting records, protest footage

Artifacts: Bipartisan legislation excerpts, historical photographs with Clintons

Display Text: "Trump Statements on Political Opposition:

Truth Social, September 24, 2022: 'The Democrats are trying to destroy our country. They're sick, they're sick people, I'll tell you.'

Rally in Pennsylvania, November 5, 2022: 'If you vote for a Democrat, you are destroying America. It's that simple.'

Truth Social, March 24, 2023: 'The Radical Left Democrat Communist Party just INDICATED the completely INNOCENT 45th President of the United States of America, ME!'

Fox News interview, October 13, 2024: 'We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they're the big problem, because they go — they go and protest they go, in some cases, riot and burn and kill people. They go after our Supreme Court justices' houses, and lots of bad things. I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can't let that happen.'

Historical Trump Political Evolution:

Playboy Magazine interview, 1999: 'I probably identify more as Democrat. The economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn't be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats... But certainly we had some very good economies under Democrats, as well as Republicans. But we've had some pretty bad disaster under the Republicans.'

CNN interview, 2004: 'It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans... Now, it shouldn't be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats.'

Trump Donations to Democrats:

• 2002: $2,000 to Hillary Clinton Senate campaign

• 2005: $4,200 to Joe Biden campaigns

• 2007: $2,300 to Barack Obama

• 2008: $2,300 to Hillary Clinton presidential campaign

Bipartisan Legislative Achievements:

• First Step Act (Criminal Justice Reform): Senate vote 87-12, House 358-36

• Save Our Seas Act: Passed both chambers unanimously

• SUPPORT Act (Opioid Crisis): House 393-8, Senate 98-1

2005 Wedding Photo: Donald and Melania Trump wedding reception showing Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Trump embracing warmly."

Display 9: "American Labor and Global Trade"

Visual Elements: Factory closure photos, trade deficit charts, images of Trump properties

Artifacts: Trade war documentation, manufacturing statistics

Display Text: "Trump Administration Trade Statements:

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, February 26, 2017: 'The wonderful thing about tariffs is it's paid for by the consumer, in other words by you.'

Trump, Twitter, May 13, 2019: 'Tariffs will make our Country MUCH STRONGER, not weaker. Just sit back and watch!'

Economic advisor Peter Navarro, March 6, 2018: 'My function, really, as an economist is to try to provide the underlying analytics that confirm his intuition. And his intuition is always right in these matters.'

Trump on Global Manufacturing: Rally in Ohio, July 25, 2017: 'We've allowed foreign countries to subsidize their goods, devalue their currencies, violate their agreements, and cheat in every way imaginable. Worse still, we've allowed them to steal our jobs and drain our wealth — and it's time for it to come to an end.'

Progressive Comparisons: Bernie Sanders, 2016: 'Corporate America has been engaged in a race to the bottom. They have shut down plants in this country. They have moved to low-wage countries.'

Trump, Twitter, January 5, 2019: 'Crazy Bernie Sanders recently said that "The American people want to know why Congress does not have the guts to take on the greed of Wall Street." Finally, something we can agree on. We need to fix our CRAZY TRADE DEALS!'

Trump Properties and Global Materials:

• Mar-a-Lago: Contains 58 bedrooms, gold-plated fixtures, Italian marble

• Trump Tower: Glass curtain walls, Italian Breccia Perniche marble

• Steel for Trump International Hotel: Manufactured in China

• Trump-branded clothing line: Manufactured in Mexico, China, Bangladesh

Trump, Twitter, July 12, 2018: 'Where are the goods going to be made? What we've done is we've allowed for a situation where entire supply chains have moved out of our country.'"

Display 10: "Government Programs: Historical Perspective"

Visual Elements: WPA murals and photos, New Deal documentation, FBI/DOJ documentation

Artifacts: Historical government employment records, Inspector General reports

Display Text: "Works Progress Administration (1935-1943):

• Employed 8.5 million Americans

• Built 651,087 miles of highways and roads

• Constructed 125,110 public buildings

• Created 8,192 parks

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1935: 'It is not a dole that we are giving. It is a way for them to use their own skills and their own hands not only to make a living for themselves, but to improve the lot of our whole nation.'

Trump on Government Agencies:

Twitter, December 15, 2017: 'Wow, Fox News just reported that James Comey memo stated that the FBI was "concerned with Trump-Russia ties." What a liar James Comey is!'

Rally in Pennsylvania, October 10, 2018: 'This is the deep state at its worst... These people are sick.'

Twitter, May 18, 2020: 'The Obama Administration spied on my 2016 Presidential Campaign - and they got caught. This is Treason!'

Inspector General Michael Horowitz Report on FBI Surveillance (December 2019):

• Found 17 significant errors in FISA applications

• Concluded investigation was properly predicated

• Found no evidence of political bias in opening investigation

• No evidence Obama administration "spied" on campaign

Representative Adam Schiff Statements: March 20, 2017: 'I can tell you that the case is more than circumstantial.'

Mueller Investigation Results:

• 34 individuals indicted

• 3 companies indicted

• 7 guilty pleas or convictions

• Did not establish conspiracy between Trump campaign and Russia

• Did not exonerate Trump on obstruction charges

Trump Response: Twitter, March 24, 2019: 'Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!'"

Display 11: "Shared Populist Themes Across the Political Spectrum"

Visual Elements: Sanders and Trump rally photos, policy comparison charts, voter demographic maps

Interactive Element: Policy position comparison tool

Display Text: "Common Ground Between Trump and Progressive Positions:

On Trade: Bernie Sanders, 2015: 'I voted against NAFTA, CAFTA, PNTR with China. I think they have been a disaster for the American worker.'

Trump, 2016: 'NAFTA is the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.'

On Wall Street: Sanders, 2016: 'The business model of Wall Street is fraud.'

Trump, 2016: 'The hedge fund guys didn't build this country. These are guys that shift money around and they get lucky.'

On Military Interventions: Sanders, 2016: 'I will do everything I can to make sure the United States does not get involved in another quagmire like we did in Iraq.'

Trump, 2016: 'We've spent $4 trillion trying to topple various people that, frankly, if they were there and if we could have spent that $4 trillion in the United States to fix our roads, our bridges.'

Trump's "Radical Left Lunatic" References:

Bernie Sanders: Twitter, February 19, 2020: 'Crazy Bernie Sanders, the Do Nothing Democrats ask him not to campaign for them. He is cursed!'

Rally in New Hampshire, February 10, 2020: 'And we have Crazy Bernie. He's a crazy man. But you know what? I'd rather run against Bloomberg than Bernie. Bloomberg is actually tougher than Bernie. Bernie's a communist, but Bloomberg can think!'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Twitter, July 14, 2019: 'So interesting to see "Progressive" Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.'

Nancy Pelosi: Twitter, October 15, 2019: 'Nancy Pelosi needs help fast! There is either something wrong with her "upstairs," or she just plain doesn't like our great Country anymore. She had a total meltdown in the White House today. It was very sad to watch. Pray for her, she is a very sick person!'

Chuck Schumer: Twitter, March 4, 2020: 'If you want to know how Liberal (Radical Left) Chuck Schumer really is, study his recent position on refugee resettlement!'

Joe Biden (while President-elect): Twitter, November 12, 2020: 'He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn't even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more!'"

Display 12: "Legacy and Democratic Institutions"

Visual Elements: January 6th documentation, peaceful transition photos, election results, constitutional text

Artifacts: Election certification documents, constitutional excerpts, court filings

Display Text: "2020 Election Aftermath:

Trump, Twitter, November 7, 2020: 'I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!'

Trump, December 2, 2020: 'Massive fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.'

January 6, 2021 Rally Speech: 'We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.'

'If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.'

'We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women... and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them.'

Phone Call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, January 2, 2021: Trump: 'I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have because we won the state.'

Raffensperger: 'The data you have is wrong.'

Congressional Certification Results: Final Electoral Count: Biden 306, Trump 232. All 50 states certified their results. Vice President Pence certified the results on January 7, 2021.

Legal Challenges:

• 62 lawsuits filed challenging election results

• 61 dismissed by federal and state courts

• Judges included multiple Trump appointees

• Supreme Court declined to hear major cases

Constitutional Framework: 20th Amendment: Presidential terms end January 20. Article II: Electoral College determines presidency. 12th Amendment: Congress counts electoral votes.

The peaceful transfer of power occurred on January 20, 2021, with President Biden's inauguration proceeding under constitutional protocols established in 1797."

Exhibition Conclusion Area

Interactive Element: Visitor reflection space with historical documents and constitutional text

Closing Text: "The Trump presidency represents a unique chapter in American political history. Visitors are encouraged to examine the evidence presented, consider multiple perspectives, and draw their own conclusions about this complex period in American democracy."