Smithsonian’s Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III announced his retirement on Tuesday amid escalating scrutiny from the Trump Administration on how the institution has been presenting American history.
Bunch was named the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian in 2019, making history as the first Black American in the prestigious role. He helped create and ultimately became the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2005.
Bunch will wrap his role by the end of the year, according to a statement by the Smithsonian.
In an interview with The New York Times published Tuesday, Bunch said pressure from the Trump administration was not the reason he resigned. He told the Times, however, “it has been stressful” and said there were times he woke up and not look at his cellphone.
“It was really just saying, now’s the time,” he said, according to the newspaper. “I’m a fighter.”
Chief Justice John Roberts, chancellor of the Smithsonian, said in a statement that Bunch has “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story.”
“The Regents, and the Smithsonian, have benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership,” Roberts said in a statement. “We look forward to working with him in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.”
Since he returned to the Oval Office, Trump has continuously attacked the Smithsonian institution for pushing what he claims is “divisive, race-centered ideology.”
In July, Bunch pushed back against the White House’s characterization of the National Museum of American History as “extreme political activism,” defending the museum in an email to staffers.
“While there will always be room for improvement, this report is not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History,” he said in the email, according to The Washington Post. “At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy, and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story.”
Trump’s executive order from March of last year targeted the Smithsonian’s iconic National Museum of African American History and Culture, the planned American Women’s History Museum, Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, the American Art Museum, the National Zoo, and a host of other vaunted institutions.
Since then, Trump also vowed to restore some of the same offensive federal sites and monuments that previous administrations removed or renamed.
Trump has continued to threaten to pull the purse strings to “prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.”
Bunch’s announcement came just two weeks before the National Museum of African American History and Culture celebrates its 10th anniversary. Bunch is set to speak at the opening of “The Reunion,” the weekend-long celebration honoring the museum and its work.
