Well, well—look who suddenly wants to be the curator of American history.
In what might be the most ironic political moment this month (and let’s be honest, that’s saying a lot), Florida Democrat Rep. Maxwell Frost tried to blast President Donald Trump for ordering a simple review of Smithsonian exhibits. You read that right. The guy who watched his party cheer as statues were ripped from their pedestals during the 2020 George Floyd riots is now pretending to be shocked that Trump wants a second look at what’s being shown in America’s own museums.
Cue Scott Jennings, host of the Salem Radio Network, who wasn’t about to let that slide. Because let’s rewind the tape—literally.
Remember the summer of 2020? When cities burned, businesses boarded up, and “peaceful protesters” (with Molotov cocktails in tow) decided they were also amateur historians? Statues of Lincoln, Washington, Ulysses S. Grant—yes, even abolitionists—were defaced or toppled because apparently nuance is dead and mobs don’t read plaques. Historical figures were declared problematic in 280 characters or less and torn down before the dust settled.
And now, Frost wants to lecture anyone about messing with history?
Let’s go back to the tape. Trump, in his March 28 executive order, directed the Smithsonian to conduct a basic review of exhibits in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary. A museum refresh. A look at what’s there, how it’s presented, and whether it honors the spirit of the country’s founding. You know, the kind of thing normal people would assume happens automatically when you’re heading into a historic national milestone.
But to the left? That’s authoritarianism. That’s cultural manipulation. That’s offensive.
Apparently, it’s only okay to remove historical content when it’s done with ropes, fire, and Antifa banners.
On CNN NewsNight, the debate went sideways fast when Frost tried to downplay a progressive New York mayoral candidate’s promise to remove the Columbus statue, claiming, “He’s not going into institutions and museums and changing things.”
Arthur Aidala wasn’t having it. “No, he said he’s going to take down the statue of Christopher Columbus,” he shot back—correctly pointing out that this is literally a historical landmark. But don’t worry, Frost reassured everyone, the mobs were just relocating the statues… to museums. Like this is some kind of artisanal statue relocation program instead of what we all watched live: people tying ropes around bronze and dragging it through the streets like a prize in a medieval war parade.
And then came the quiet part out loud.
Jennings reminded the table, “It didn’t look like they were putting them in museums when they were tying ropes around them and dragging them down.”
Boom.
That’s the kind of clarity that sends progressives into a tailspin, because it lays bare the double standard: When the left rebrands history, it’s “progress.” When Trump asks what’s on the museum wall? It’s “dangerous.”
Here’s the truth they don’t want you to hear: Trump is making the left play defense on something they thought they’d buried—literally. He’s forcing the conversation back to patriotism, legacy, and truth, and they’re scrambling. Because you can only chant “tear it down” for so long before someone asks, “And replace it with what, exactly?”
That’s the trap. And they walked right into it.
Again.
