The second Trump administration has been a boon for Christian nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton and his son Tim, who now wield unprecedented influence over how American history is presented at the federal level. Lacking any formal historical training, the Bartons have built careers misrepresenting U.S. history to advance a right-wing agenda and have cultivated close ties within the administration.
On their WallBuilders radio show, they celebrated the White House’s threat to withhold funding from the Smithsonian unless it submits documentation for a content review, claiming credit for prompting the move after reviewing exhibits they described as misleading and “woke propaganda.”