Conservative offers perspective on Trump's effort to exert authority over history and art

Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz: Restoring truth and sanity to American history, that is what President Trump says he wants to do.

And an executive order with that title accuses the Smithsonian Institution and other museums of promoting — quote — “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

It’s one of several recent actions targeting the arts and agencies like the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Last night, senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spoke to Yale historian David Blight, a critic of the president’s moves. Tonight, he gets a different view for our series Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy and part of our Canvas coverage.

Jeffrey Brown: Joining me now is Christopher Scalia. He’s senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he focuses on culture, literature and higher education. A former English professor, he’s author of the upcoming book “13 Novels Conservatives Will Love (But Probably Haven’t Read).”

Thank you so much for joining us.

So, the president has been critical of what he calls a revisionist movement in how American history and culture are portrayed. Do you agree with that? And where do you see it?

Christopher Scalia, American Enterprise Institute: Thanks for having me, Geoff. It’s great to talk to you.

I think that the president has a point. The point isn’t that historians can’t revise how we understand America’s past, but really the point is to push back against this movement in museums and elsewhere that focuses on the shortcomings, flaws and mistakes of America and its past.

Certainly, there are some. But I think the president is trying to get museums and educators to focus — not ignore those, but to focus on the virtues and greatness of the United States.

Jeffrey Brown: We had Yale historian David Blight on the program. He said:

David Blight, Yale University: We want our doctors to be trained and we want them to revise what they know based on new evidence and new techniques. We also want our historians to revise the past.

Jeffrey Brown: So what’s your response to something like that?

Christopher Scalia: It is not about ignoring new historical discoveries, and, for example, our understanding of slavery and exactly how inhumane slavery was, but the focus tends — in Trump’s telling, and I think a lot of conservatives feel this way, is that that gets so much emphasis.

Americans — the constant emphasis on that makes Americans feel ashamed of their past. There are things about our past that should embarrass us and shame us, but those aren’t the only things we should be hearing about.

And I think the president’s right to say that, in institutions that are funded by the federal government and that are open to all Americans, especially as we approach the 250th anniversary of our founding, it’s a good idea to really put the emphasis on celebrating America’s history, including new discoveries historians have made through new methods.

Jeffrey Brown: How does that happen, though, without erasing or covering up important parts of American history?

I mean, we have already, even in the last month or so, seen some moves targeting DEI efforts that then leave out the accomplishments of women or African Americans or others in history.

Christopher Scalia: No museum can capture all of American history or all of American art. And so there has to be some selection. And that’s what curators do.

Again, I don’t think that’s the same as erasing the past. I think that’s choosing what elements of the past to focus on in specific museums that are funded by taxpayers. Nobody is telling Dr. Blight that he can’t study these things, that he can’t teach these things to his students, that university or popular presses can’t publish his findings and the findings of his peers.

But the point more is about what — if the federal government is going to be funding museums and other institutions, what should they be focusing on?

Jeffrey Brown: Where do you draw the line and where does it become a form of censorship?

Christopher Scalia: Well, I don’t think it’s censorship for the government to say, we’re not funding that. That’s just a basic role that the government needs to do.

What you’re hitting on is a question that’s really kind of central to the conservative movement itself historically. There is a debate over whether the federal government should be involved in these things at all. And the more libertarian-minded conservative says, no, these are good things, but they’re not central to the purpose of a federal government, and instead these things should be funded by private institutions.

And other conservatives say, well, this is actually a great opportunity for President Trump to reframe the debate of what America is, especially as we approach our 250th anniversary or birthday. And it’s totally within the purview of the federal government to say, taxpayers are paying for this museum. It is under the auspices of the federal government, so the federal government should have some say in what those museums do.

Jeffrey Brown: You’re arguing that progressives have gone too far in the presentation of art and history. Do you worry about your fellow conservatives going too far in the other direction?

Christopher Scalia: I don’t worry about it, but I certainly think it’s possible.

It would be a mistake, for example, for conservatives to say that because they don’t like what the National Endowment for the Arts is doing, that the arts in general aren’t worth celebrating and aren’t worth engaging with and appreciating. And I think that would be a huge mistake.

The arts — in the context, for example, of American identity, the arts are such an important part of understanding what America is, who Americans are. And I hope that, no matter what Trump decides about the NEA, conservatives embrace the arts and the American vision they present.

Jeffrey Brown: All right, Christopher Scalia, thank you very much.

Christopher Scalia: Thank you, Jeffrey.