For Those Who Respect True History, This Is Very Sad News.

Tom Sherwood
@tomsherwood
I hate this News:
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch plans to announce his retirement from the institution at the end of this year, bringing to a close a tenure marked by unprecedented pressure on the museum complex from a White House keen on controlling how to tell the nation’s history.

theatlantic.com/culture/2026/0…
https://x.com/tomsherwood/status/2097366647921070224

Why Lonnie Bunch Is Leaving the Smithsonian
After months of clashes with the White House, the historian and leader of the institution is retiring later this year.
By Kelsey Ables and Janay Kingsberry

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch plans to retire from the institution at the end of this year, bringing to a close a tenure marked by unprecedented pressure on the museum complex from a White House keen on controlling how to tell the nation’s history. After a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the departure to The Atlantic, Bunch addressed Smithsonian employees at a town hall this afternoon, telling them, “I may be going away, but I’m still going to be a pain in the ass to some people.”

The crowd of staffers, who spilled out of an auditorium and into an overflow room at the Hirshhorn Museum, clapped and cheered, even as some likely wondered: Why now? In conversations with intimates, Bunch has been floating his retirement since at least the beginning of this year. But the increased attention from the White House surely made stepping down an even more delicate decision. Bunch, who is 73, tried to deflect any notion that his departure was Trump-related, telling staffers, “I now realize that I’m old as dirt, and it’s time for the next chapter in my life.” He also suggested that the timing may have been influenced by his wife, Maria Marable-Bunch, who recently retired from the National Museum of the American Indian. “The Smithsonian represents more than a career to me; it’s been an integral part of who I am,” he said. “I think about during the many years here, I met the love of my life, who’s retired and told me I better retire soon.”

Bunch’s exit will leave the Smithsonian, which is largely federally funded, with a vacancy at the top as it faces escalating efforts from the Trump administration to influence its work. Bunch, known to be diplomatic and evenhanded, had largely staved off the White House’s encroachment over a tumultuous 18 months in which the administration issued executive orders and letters criticizing the museums and threatened to withhold funding. In July, President Trump signed an executive order calling for signage to be added to the exterior of the National Museum of American History warning about what the administration claims is an inaccurate and partisan telling of history. Smithsonian leaders have countered that telling the American story fairly and accurately means discussing its complexities too.

In a news release, Bunch said: “There is no place like the Smithsonian—it has been one of the great loves of my life, and I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished together. I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward.” The chair of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, Franklin D. Raines, thanked Bunch for his service and said the institution’s governing body will be “focused on ensuring stability during this time of transition.” He said that the Smithsonian would soon announce an acting secretary and begin a search for Bunch’s successor. “There are some very strong internal candidates,” Kim Sajet, the former director of the National Portrait Gallery, told us today.

Before becoming secretary of the entire Smithsonian, Bunch was the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which has been widely praised for its powerful handling of the darkest chapters of America’s past. In Bunch, the Smithsonian had at its helm an advocate for its continued independence. The first historian and the first Black leader of the 21-museum complex, he spent nearly 38 years in roles across the institution. His departure has increased anxieties about the institution’s future.

His stewardship in creating the ‘ Blacksonian’, will forever have my utmost respect.

Ken Burns
@KenBurns
Lonnie Bunch is a great historian, public servant and a dear friend. He has devoted his career to helping us understand the full American story in all its complexity. Our country is better for his work, and I am deeply grateful for it.

Wishing him the very best and thankful that he will remain engaged with all things history.
nytimes.com/2026/09/08/art…
https://x.com/KenBurns/status/2097363984588382407

Deborah Roberts
@DebRobertsABC
So very sad to hear that we are losing a brilliant mind in our country’s culture and history. Lonnie Bunch, the first black secretary of the Smithsonian, has decided to retire. He has been criticized by the Trump administration for the portrayal of U.S. slavery experiences.
https://x.com/DebRobertsABC/status/2097374009419501883

CNN Breaking News
@cnnbrk
The head of the Smithsonian Institution says he’s retiring. It comes amid efforts by the Trump administration to reshape the museum organization.cnn.it/4iSEb4o
https://x.com/cnnbrk/status/2097363454784905605

Geoff Bennett
@GeoffRBennett
We spoke with Lonnie Bunch last week, before he announced his retirement as Smithsonian Secretary. That conversation airs tonight on the @NewsHour — about the pressure the institution has faced from the Trump administration, how he views this moment, and the legacy he leaves behind.
https://x.com/GeoffRBennett/status/2097355645808709834