President Trump reportedly did not want to see anything “difficult” and bragged about his popularity in the Netherlands during a private tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, according to an upcoming memoir by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch.
The Washington Post reported that Trump requested a private visit of the museum on the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. just before taking office in 2017.
“The notion that we could shut out visitors on the first King holiday since the opening of the museum was not something I could accept,” said Bunch, who served as the museum’s founding director from 2005 until his new appointment as the Smithsonian’s secretary in June.
Bunch noted that Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, and King’s niece Alveda King joined Trump on the tour. Bunch said he hoped the visit “would contribute to a broader understanding of race relations in America.”
Trump’s aides reportedly informed Bunch before his arrival that the president-elect “was in a foul mood and that he did not want to see anything ‘difficult,’” Bunch wrote.
“It was not my job to make the rough edges of history smooth, even for the president,” he said.
Later during the visit, Bunch observed Trump pausing in front of an exhibit that explained the integral part the Dutch played in the slave trade.
“As he pondered the label I felt that maybe he was paying attention to the work of the museum,” Bunch noted. “He quickly proved me wrong. As he turned from the display he said to me, ‘You know, they love me in the Netherlands.’ All I could say was let’s continue walking.”
Bunch expressed his dismay at what he described as the lack of empathy Trump showed on the tour. He said he was disappointed that he was not successful in improving the president-elect’s views on the history of slavery.
Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer defended the president during the visit, saying the administration tried to schedule a tour before its grand opening on Martin Luther King Jr. Day so they would not impede the public’s ability to go to the museum.
He also said he remembered Trump was “engaged and asked questions throughout the tour,” specifically during an exhibit detailing Carson’s career as a neurosurgeon.
In his memoir, Bunch also wrote the two shared fond memories of American boxer Muhammad Ali and the impact he had on the country. Bunch even said in an interview last week that he was glad Trump visited the museum.
“There is no doubt in my mind there were things he learned, engaged with,” Bunch said. “What I hope is that the Smithsonian can play that role in a time of partisanship and division. I’m not saying who caused it, but the reality is, it’s a different time. And so I just want us to play that role.”
