‘A first step to fascism’: critics denounce Trump administration replacing slavery exhibit at George Washington’s ​home

Summary

Replacement of panels with version that’s sympathetic to enslavers comes amid effort by Trump to dismantle diversity initiatives Critics say the Trump administration acted under the “cover of darkness” to replace an exhibit exploring the lives of nine enslaved people who lived at George Washington’s ​Philadelphia home with a version that is overly sympathetic to enslavers and that whitewashes the country’s origins. The installation of new information panels followed a six-month fight between the city of Philadelphia and the Trump administration over an enslavement memorial at the former home of Washington and John Adams. The National Park Service (NPS) removed the original panels on 22 January 2026 to conform with Trump’s executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” issued on 27 March 2025. After the city of Philadelphia filed a lawsuit against the federal government, Judge Cynthia M Rufe ordered the original panels to be reinstated on 16 February. NPS then reinstalled half of the exhibit, and the site remained in limbo for several months. The federal government appealed to the US third circuit, which ruled in mid-June that the exhibit could be replaced. By the early morning of 15 July, the NPS had replaced the original exhibit – which told the story of the nine enslaved people who served George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when the US capital temporarily moved to Philadelphia – with new panels the Trump administration contends gives a fuller picture of the nation’s origins. “Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President’s House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia,” said Cherelle L Parker, the city’s mayor, in a statement . “It was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust.” The removal of the original panels, installed in 2010, comes amid an aggressive effort by Trump to dismantle diversity initiatives, using his executive authority to reshape how federally funded institutions present American history. His executive order directed the interior department to ensure historic sites do not display exhibits that “disparage Americans past or living”, prompting concerns that difficult chapters of US history are being sanitized. What if, because of immigration, the president doesn’t like the Statue of Liberty – do we get rid of the Statue of Liberty? The city still has some legal options, Coard said, including seeking reconsideration from a 14-member third circuit court, or to file an appeal to the US supreme court. “Simply because he came in like a thief in the night and put up new panels,” Coard said, “doesn’t mean that a court can’t remove those mythological panels.” Matt Hall, a Temple University professor who founded the grassroots group Old City Remembers , told the Guardian that he was disheartened by the replacement, but that he would continue to ensure that history is preserved.