The president’s order called for curbing the independence of the sprawling network of museums and urging it to promote “American greatness.”

The Smithsonian Institution, a vast complex of research centers, museums and galleries, is the latest culture target of President Trump's executive orders.

The Smithsonian, tasked with telling the story of America, could see changes under Trump’s unprecedented executive order. What to know about how it operates.

President Trump announced plans to issue an executive order aimed at the Smithsonian Institution, targeting funding for programs promoting what he calls “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology,” as part of his broader push against liberal culture.

The president complained in an executive order that the Smithsonian had advanced “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

Donald Trump has threatened to cut off funding to the prestigious Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC if its displays are influenced by “divisive, race-centred ideology”.