Yesterday, in a post on Truth Social, President Trump described the Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums and national zoo as, quote, out of control for emphasizing, as he put it, how bad slavery was.

The president said he'd instructed his attorneys to review museum exhibits.

That post is part of a larger pattern by the president in his second term to reframe historical narratives,

in particular about America's history of racism and discrimination.

As part of our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy, and part of our Canvas coverage,

I'm joined now by historian Pneill Joseph.

He's from the University of Texas at Austin's Center

for the Study of Race and Democracy.

Professor Joseph, welcome back to The NewsHour.

Thanks for joining us.

Hi, I'm not. Great to be here.

So the president complained online

that the Smithsonian focused on how horrible the country is,

in his words, how bad slavery was.

He also said this as part of that post.

He said, the museums don't focus enough on the success and on the brightness and on the future.

As someone who studies history and looks at this intently, what do you make of those concerns?

Well, this is really part of an ongoing narrative

war that we've had in American history between those who are supporters of reconstruction,

multiracial democracy, and then redemptionists who are supporters of the racial status quo that

existed long in this country, both during slavery and then

during the period of Jim Crow after. So when we think about what the president is saying, what he's

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