What Lonnie Bunch Told Me
Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has announced his retirement for the end of the year. While he maintains that political pressure played no role in his decision, his final years were marked by efforts to defend the institution's nonpartisan mission against the Trump administration.
Why it matters
The departure of a major cultural leader underscores the ongoing tensions between federal institutions and political administrations regarding institutional independence.
He was ready for life after the Smithsonian. Protecting the institution had taken a toll.
Lonnie Bunch gives a tour of the future National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2014. ( J.M. Eddins Jr. / Tribune News Service / Getty ) September 10, 2026, 8 AM ET Share Save Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was already slipping into the past tense when we walked together through the National Museum of American History in February.
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