President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 28 Aug 2025 making classical architecture the “preferred and default” style for new federal buildings, scrapping a decades-old policy that discouraged Washington from dictating an official aesthetic. The order instructs the General Services Administration to prioritize bids from firms with classical portfolios, which the White House says will honour tradition, foster civic pride and inspire the citizenry. On the same day, the administration escalated its cultural offensive against the Smithsonian Institution, releasing a list of exhibits it claims promote “woke ideology.” Items flagged include a Pride flag photograph, portraits of Dr. Anthony Fauci, a transgender Statue of Liberty model, and education programmes planned for the forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino. A formal letter to Smithsonian leaders directs eight museums to submit wall texts, catalogues and digital content for review within 120 days, with a final compliance report due in early 2026—months before the United States marks its 250th anniversary. The review draws its authority from the administration’s earlier “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” order, which requires federally funded cultural institutions to emphasise American exceptionalism and avoid what the White House calls divisive narratives. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch said the institution would cooperate while “upholding rigorous scholarship,” and museum associations warned that the directive risks politicising the nation’s pre-eminent cultural complex. Conservative commentators welcomed the move as a corrective to a perceived left-leaning slant, underscoring the deepening partisan battle over how American history is presented in publicly funded spaces.