Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III Retires After Six Years Leading Institution
Bunch's departure closes a tenure defined by institutional expansion and documented friction with the Trump White House over the framing of American history in federal museums.
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution since 2019, has announced his retirement at age 73, ending a tenure in which he served as the first historian and the first African American to hold that position, according to CBS News.
Bunch was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian in June 2019, succeeding David Skorton. The Smithsonian Institution is a federally chartered institution established by Congress in 1846. It operates 19 museums, 21 research centers, and a zoo, and receives a significant share of its annual budget through congressional appropriations. In fiscal year 2024, Congress appropriated approximately $1.1 billion to the Smithsonian, according to the institution's annual budget justification submitted to Congress.
In his CBS News interview, Bunch described the Smithsonian's core mission as giving the United States "a full picture of itself" and said he views the preservation of historical artifacts and narratives as a civic responsibility. He stated directly: "You can run from history, but you can't hide."
During his tenure, Bunch oversaw the operation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016 before his appointment but expanded its programming and collections under his leadership. He also navigated significant political pressure from the Trump White House, which, according to the CBS News report, questioned the patriotism of Smithsonian staff and challenged the framing of American history presented in the institution's exhibits.
The nature and extent of that White House pressure is described in general terms in the CBS News interview. The specific communications between the Trump administration and Smithsonian leadership, including any formal directives or written correspondence, are not detailed in the available source material. Documents that would clarify the scope of that pressure include any formal executive orders referencing the Smithsonian, Office of Management and Budget communications, or internal Smithsonian records subject to congressional oversight.
The Smithsonian Institution's governance structure places the Secretary under the authority of its Board of Regents, which includes the Chief Justice of the United States, the Vice President, three members of the Senate, three members of the House of Representatives, and nine citizen members, per the Smithsonian's governing statute codified at 20 U.S.C. Section 41. The Board of Regents is responsible for selecting Bunch's successor, and no successor has been publicly named as of September 20, 2026.
Bunch's retirement comes during a period of broader federal scrutiny of cultural institutions. The Trump administration has used executive orders and agency review processes to examine the content of federally funded museums and educational programs, though no specific executive action targeting the Smithsonian's curatorial decisions has been cited in the available source material.
The Smithsonian employs approximately 6,000 staff across its locations, the majority based in Washington, D.C., according to the institution's public organizational data. Its collections include more than 155 million objects, specimens, and artworks.
Bunch, in his CBS News interview, described the current political climate as a test of whether institutions committed to full historical documentation can maintain that mission under governmental pressure. He did not announce a specific retirement date or transition timeline in the available reporting.
What remains unknown is the identity of the next Secretary, the timeline for the Board of Regents' selection process, and the precise content of any communications between the Trump White House and Smithsonian leadership regarding exhibit content or staff conduct. The Board of Regents' meeting minutes, which are public documents, would be the primary record to consult for information on the succession process.