Lonnie Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, said on Monday he will retire at the end of the year, ending a tenure marked by clashes with the Trump administration over how the museums portray American history.
Bunch cited personal reasons for stepping down. He also acknowledged the strain of the past months. “I have to be honest, it has been stressful,” he said. He was appointed in 2019 as the first African American to lead the institution.
The Smithsonian has come under pressure from President Donald Trump, who has criticised the network’s depictions of US history and pressed for changes to its content. The dispute has raised questions about the independence of the institution, which operates museums and research centres across Washington and beyond.
Bunch previously served as founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in 2016. His work there built his reputation before he took the top post overseeing the wider Smithsonian complex.
The institution runs 21 museums along with the National Zoo in Washington, and holds one of the largest collections of artefacts and specimens in the world. It receives federal funding while retaining a measure of curatorial autonomy.
The retirement leaves the Smithsonian’s board of regents to select a successor. The timing places the search against continued attention from the White House over exhibition content and historical framing.
Bunch is scheduled to leave the position at the end of the year.