A museum head in the congressional hot seat was made to answer for an ideology behind exhibits that prompted the question, “Is Mickey Mouse racist?”
Unlike under President Joe Biden’s administration, where woke was the cause du jour and every aspect became tainted with some flavor of DEI, critical race theory, or some other such shade of Marxism, President Donald Trump has pressed forward with purging the agenda.
Tuesday, following the release of a White House Domestic Policy Council report, Texas Rep. Brandon Gill (R) held the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Director Anthea Hartig’s feet to the proverbial fire with questions about the institution linking racism with objectivity, politeness, and the beloved cartoon character Mickey Mouse.
“Is Mickey Mouse racist?” the congressman asked her bluntly during a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
.@RepBrandonGill: “Is Mickey Mouse racist?”
Rep. Gill confronted the Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History after we uncovered an exhibit that called Mickey racist for allegedly symbolizing blackface.
She did not know what to say. pic.twitter.com/IAuTYmXwf4
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 21, 2026
After Hartig assured the lawmaker the character is “not racist,” Gill proceeded to detail an exhibit that states how Mickey Mouse is representing “vestiges of longstanding traditions of blackfaced minstrelsy.”
“Would you describe that as racist?” asked the congressman.
“No. The historical trajectory of the origins of Mickey Mouse tied directly-” tried the director as Gill interjected, “So, Mickey Mouse is rooted in racism. Is that your testimony?”
As she deflected back to the minstrelsy, a follow-up question asked if she viewed that as racist, to which Hartig responded, “It had certain obvious racial overtones that have been well-documented.”
Asked if that’s problematic, she went on to assert, “It’s not for me to determine what’s problematic. It’s [to] determine to me what’s accurate.”
Elsewhere in their exchange, Gill called out the Smithsonian’s MASS (Museums as a Site for Social) Action Toolkit and how things like objectivity and politeness are considered defining characteristics of white supremacy.
Rep. Gill: “Is it important to be polite?”
Smithsonian Director Hartig: “Yes, sir”
Gill: “The Smithsonian lists politeness as an attribute of white supremacy” pic.twitter.com/HH4lefFZ07
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 21, 2026
Hartig deflected, arguing that the Smithsonian was not responsible for developing the toolkit it promoted. However, according to the White House report on “How Ideological Capture at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Erases Our Heritage,” the toolkit was “co-authored by half a dozen current/former Smithsonian employees.”
The toolkit details, “Diversity educators Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun identify 13 facets of a culture based on white supremacy: perfectionism, sense of urgency, defensiveness, quantity over quality, worship of the written word, paternalism, either/or thinking, power hoarding, fear of open conflict, individualism, progress is bigger/more/ objectivity, and the right to comfort.”
On objectivity, it states, “This encompasses repressing emotions in decision-making or group processes, thinking in a linear fashion, impatience with those who do not exhibit linear thinking or with thinking that does not appear logical.”
After insisting museum staff “have always inserted their worldview into their work,” the toolkit goes on to argue, “Museum staff have never been objective, but because dominant norms typically coincide with the worldview of the vast majority of museum staff, it has appeared to be objective to the dominant culture. Those with worldviews outside of the dominant culture are hyperaware of the fallacy in this pretense of museum objectivity.”
The viral moment earned both praise for Gill and derision for Hartig and what she represents, with many calling for stripped funding and the termination of radicals.
Brandon Gill is great and this Smithsonian director Hartig is pathetic. I do believe that she should be sued for the nonsense the Smithsonian is spreading about the signs that she states identify “white supremacist”.
— Patriot_NellieMc (@PatriotNellieMc) July 22, 2026
@realBrandonGill is a national treasure. Brilliant, calm, rational. America needs many more Brandon Gill’s. I see great things in his future.
— RiversDaughter (@Goldberry1965) July 22, 2026
This is peak clown world. The Smithsonian — taxpayer-funded — literally lists basic politeness as “white supremacy.”
These woke freaks have completely lost their minds. They turned a world-class American institution into a Marxist grievance factory that hates Western…
— The Ugly Patriot (@the_uglypatriot) July 21, 2026
Fire this idiot at the Smithsonian
— Julie nelson (@JNelsonLangley) July 21, 2026
Smugness and acute amnesia are her defining characteristics, and a matter of permanent record. These people were installed en masse to oversee the the same psyop. I’d like to see her notes (for laughs).
— Brian Austin (@AustinNexus) July 21, 2026
Brilliant. So being polite is now ‘white supremacy.’ Time to start shoving people and skipping ‘thank yous’ for equity. Thanks Smithsonian! pic.twitter.com/i2JgnCXap0
— Elham Karim Parvini (@ElhamParvini) July 21, 2026
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