meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Laura Coates Live

Trump: Smithsonian Focuses Too Much On “How Bad Slavery Was”

Laura Coates Live

CNN

News

3.92.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

President Trump escalated his campaign to purge cultural institutions of materials that conflict with his political directives on Tuesday, alleging museums were too focused on highlighting negative aspects of American history, including “how bad slavery was.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Well, tonight, I am starting to wonder whether the president knows what a museum is.

0:09.0

Why?

0:10.0

Because he is telling his lawyers to make the Smithsonian somehow have a glass half-full approach to slavery.

0:17.0

What?

0:19.0

Then, of course, the Epstein Files could soon become public. A House committee is saying

0:23.4

that's a real possibility. But one of its members who is my guest, well, they have a different

0:28.5

philosophy. They're saying, nice try. It's all a DOJ kind of cover up. And potential moves by the

0:34.3

administration to take intel and take some part of it, what that

0:38.3

could really mean and what is making people freak out all tonight on Laura Coates Live.

0:47.3

You know the lawyer in me loves, and I mean loves a good, healthy debate. But if you think for some

0:57.8

reason tonight that I'm going to debate the issue of slavery and whether it was bad, as if there

1:03.7

are two sides to this issue, you can feel free to change a channel right now. You know, I operate in the

1:10.1

realm of reality here on

1:12.5

Lara Coates Live. You're smarter than that. I'm smarter than that. We're all smart than

1:17.9

that, but someone wants to pretend that we don't see an okie-dote coming from a mile away.

1:22.6

They hope the right spin will make you question that you're even saying. This isn't an asylum, people.

1:29.3

This is Laura Coates live.

1:31.3

This is the real world.

1:32.3

But here is today's reality, according to truth social.

1:36.3

President Trump is taking issue with how our museums teach about slavery.

1:41.3

Look at his post.

1:43.3

The Smithsonian is out of control,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CNN, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of CNN and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.