Lonnie G. Bunch III
United States
Secretary of the Smithsonian
government
Lonnie Griffith Bunch III is an American educator and historian. Bunch is the fourteenth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first African American and first historian to serve as head of the Smithsonian. He has spent most of his career as a history museum curator and administrator.
Standing...
Stories...
Sep 13, 2026
Far Left
Bunch is stepping down as head of the Smithsonian after parrying White House pressure since 2019.
The left sees this as another example of cultural institutions being hollowed out by political pressure, and questions why the Smithsonian's leadership did not more forcefully resist rather than quietly exit.
Sep 13, 2026
Far Left
Stepping down as leader of the Smithsonian after parrying White House pressure, raising questions about whether Trump won the battle over the institution.
The Smithsonian's surrender to Trump is another example of institutional liberalism folding when the right pushes; the left should not mourn figureheads who prioritized access over defending public history.