Jamie Raskin Introduces Legislation to Preserve and Document Trump Propaganda
As the Trump Administration prepares propaganda signage to adorn the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08) introduced legislation to ensure future generations learn about President Donald Trump’s commitment to censoring, whitewashing and fictionalizing American history.
The Preserving and Remembering the History of Trump and other Tyrants Act directs officials from the Smithsonian Institution to collect and preserve artifacts reflecting the rise of governmental propaganda, corruption, and authoritarianism during the Trump presidencies as the basis for a permanent exhibition in the National Museum of American History.
Last month, the Department of the Interior—under orders from President Trump—created propaganda signage to place outside of the National Museum of American History, warning visitors of curators’ “personal, radical ideologies.” Preserving these signs will educate Americans on how authoritarians attempt to control media, government and culture. “Unlike President Trump’s project of censoring, whitewashing and fictionalizing American history, my legislation will forever preserve his manifestations of authoritarian narcissism and his propagandistic assault on American history and American democracy,” said Rep. Raskin.
“To avoid repeating this descent into authoritarianism, we must study this corrupt President’s actions and allow the public to learn about the numerous tools he deployed while attempting to remake American history in his own image and according to his own autocratic and white nationalist beliefs.” The legislation directs officials from the Smithsonian Institution to preserve the banners bearing President Trump’s face that are currently displayed outside of certain federal agencies; still images and videos from the media; personal narratives of American citizens who resisted and opposed the rise in authoritarianism in the United States; and other artifacts that the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution determines to have historical significance.
The legislation also directs officials from the National Park Service to remove any signage that was erected near the National Museum of American History without the consent of Congress. Rep. Raskin has drawn on his expertise as an American constitutional scholar as he speaks out against the Trump Administration’s authoritarian tactics. This month, he introduced a Resolution condemning President Trump and MAGA’s campaign of book bans and censorship and advocating for the American freedom to read and think freely.