Lonnie Bunch to retire from Smithsonian leadership following clash with Trump administration

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lonnie Bunch is stepping down from the leadership of the Smithsonian Institution following a tumultuous year in which President Donald Trump tried to remake the portrayal of U.S. history by the Smithsonian museums and other cultural entities.

Bunch said in a news release Tuesday that he was departing the position he had held since 2019 “with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude.” The Smithsonian said he would leave the post at the end of the year.

Bunch’s departure comes two months after a White House report branded the leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, especially at the National Museum of American History, as radical activists who cannot be trusted, an indication that Trump could be preparing to install his own team.

Anthea M. Hartig, the first female director of that museum, faced growing scrutiny from Trump and other Republicans over the summer after the White House Domestic Policy Council’s report saying the museum’s leadership doesn’t tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

Three weeks after the report’s release, Trump ordered his administration to install signs in front of the U.S. history museum telling visitors that some of the exhibits are inaccurate. Hartig pushed back, telling lawmakers during congressional hearings that the report “does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum.”

There had been speculation that firings were in the offing. Trump doesn’t have the power to fire leaders at the Smithsonian with the swiftness he’s managed at other top cultural institutions in Washington, most notably the Kennedy Center, where a board of his supporters named him chairman.

The Smithsonian operates outside the executive branch and museum directors report to Bunch, who is subject to oversight from a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and so-called citizen regents.

Roberts, who serves as Smithsonian’s chancellor, said in a release that Bunch had “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story.”

The White House did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The announcement has left questions about some Smithsonian programming. Bunch is scheduled to speak Sept. 25 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture at an event entitled: “Understanding America: 10 Years of Excellence.”

A Smithsonian spokesman said Bunch would be at the event.

The Smithsonian has been under examination by the Trump administration since 2025 as it has focused on the images and messages presented to the public as the nation approached its 250th anniversary.

A March 2025 executive order, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, led to signs being changed at federal parks, exhibits being altered or in some cases removed, and military bases being renamed. Trump specifically cited the National Museum of African American History and Culture and argued that the Smithsonian as a whole was engaging in a “concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history.”

Several months later, the White House ordered a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions before the country’s 250th birthday, with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with Trump’s interpretation of American history.

In a letter sent to Bunch at the time, the White House detailed the steps it expected the organization to take as part of the announced review. The examination covers all public-facing content, including social media, exhibition text and educational materials, to “assess tone, historical framing, and alignment with American ideals,” according to the letter.

That review initially focused on eight museums — the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

California Democrat Sen. Alex Padilla praised Bunch in a statement for not shying away from the nation's history. “In the face of Donald Trump’s attacks on the Smithsonian, Secretary Bunch spoke truth to power and reasserted his commitment to defend and uphold American history and values. While I respect his decision to depart, the job now falls to the Board of Regents and Congress to ensure the success of his work will remain for generations to come.”

Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C., and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

The Smithsonian Institution Building, more commonly known as the Smithsonian Castle, is closing for renovations, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Lonnie Bunch, the New Secretary of the Smithsonian, joined by President Donald Trump, left, Dutch collector Bert Kreuk, second from right, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, right, speaks during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, July 18, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - Lonnie Bunch, then director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Sept. 21, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch speaks at an event, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)

Paige Crowther Charbonnea, left, after President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to her brother, 9/11 hero Welles Crowther, during a Steel Across America event with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation on the Ellipse, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

HONOLULU (AP) — Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell pelted Hawaii's western islands Tuesday, knocking out power and bringing the threat of flash floods and mudslides.

Along the Southern California coast, dangerous surf conditions kicked up by the remnants of Hurricane Marie were expected to stick around for several days.

In Hawaii, fierce winds downed trees and caused widespread power outages on the island of Kauai, home to 73,000 residents. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative reported that nearly all of its roughly 35,000 members were without power early Tuesday.

Emergency officials asked residents to conserve water and stay off the roads as authorities assessed the damage.

Kaui real estate agent Lori Benkert, who lives in Lihue, said she endured a loud, windy night after her power went out Monday evening. The storm downed trees next to her house and the community’s main road was closed because of fallen trees, she said.

“We’re fine. My house did great with no boarded-up windows,” Benkert said. “But there are a lot of downed power lines.”

The center of the storm passed west of the islands in the overnight hours Tuesday and moved farther away throughout the day.

The storm's tropical storm-force winds extended well beyond the center, the National Hurricane Center said. On Kauai, sustained winds measured just above 50 mph (80 kph) at Lihue Airport, the island's only commercial airport that was closed after the storm.

Hurricane warnings for Kauai and the tiny island of Niihau, which has less than 100 permanent residents, were no longer in place by Tuesday morning local time. A tropical storm warning was also lifted for Oahu, the state's most populated island with close to 1 million residents.

But flooding and mudslides will continue to be a risk through the day, said Eric Blake, of the National Hurricane Center.

Some wind gusts reached 80 mph (130 kph), according to the hurricane center. But the force of the sustained winds had decreased by early Tuesday and the storm was expected to weaken in the coming days.

There was extensive damage across Kauai, and crews were using heavy equipment to push trees and debris off the roads, said Derek Kawakami, mayor of Kauai County. About 300 people were staying in shelters on Kauai.

On Oahu, road crews were clearing sand and rocks from a major route along the island's western edge after floodwaters topped a coastal highway, north of Honolulu.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green closed schools and government offices on the three islands for Tuesday ahead of the storm.

Rainfall totals could reach up to 24 inches (60 centimeters) in some areas on Kauai. Oahu, Maui and the Big Island also could see large amounts of rain.

Last month, Tropical Storm Lala brushed past Hawaii and stirred up landslides, washing away about 100 homes and causing widespread power outages.

What's left of Hurricane Marie was downgraded again and is no longer considered a tropical storm.

But it was still creating dangerous surf conditions along the coast of Mexico’s Baja California and Southern California. Swells with life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will continue for the next few days, the hurricane center said.

In Malibu, where big waves were pounding the shore, the driveway of a beachfront home that sits on pylons collapsed into a sinkhole Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

A surfer catches a wave as large waves from Hurricane Marie break on the shore, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, on Huntington Beach, southern Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Binoculars are pointed towards the ocean as large waves from Hurricane Marie break on the shore, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, on Huntington Beach, southern Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Beachgoers stand in thick humidity as large waves from Hurricane Marie break on the shore, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, on Huntington Beach, southern Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

People walk on a pier as large waves from Hurricane Marie break on the shore, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, on Huntington Beach, southern Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Lowell near Hawaii on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This satellite image released by NOAA shows Hurricane Lowell approaching Hawaii, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (NOAA via AP)