In just a few months since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, America’s cultural landscape has been rocked by an unprecedented assault on arts institutions and artists, sparking what many are calling a new and far more extreme culture war. Federal agencies that have long supported the arts, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and soon the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), face drastic staff cuts and grant cancellations, jeopardizing the survival of countless arts programs and smaller nonprofit organizations across the country.
Trump’s administration, aided by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has aggressively reshaped cultural policy to align with a nationalist agenda. This includes replacing leadership at key institutions like the Kennedy Center and threatening the Smithsonian Institution’s independence, with moves to purge what the administration labels “anti-American ideologies” and “divisive” narratives from exhibitions and programming.
The cancellation of grants has forced projects-such as a major international Indigenous cultural heritage event – to be scrapped, leaving artists and cultural workers scrambling for alternative funding. The impact is especially severe in underfunded regions like the American South, where private philanthropy is scarce and communities rely heavily on federal support for arts access. Experts warn that the erosion of public funding will create a ripple effect, shrinking the arts ecosystem nationwide and limiting cultural participation for many Americans.
Artists themselves are caught in the crossfire. Performances and residencies are being canceled for content deemed politically unacceptable, such as scenes involving drag, reflecting a broader crackdown on artistic freedom. Yet, many artists vow to resist. Karen Finley, a prominent figure from the 1990s NEA funding battles, insists that despite attempts to silence dissenting voices, art will endure as a form of resistance and truth-telling. Fellow artist John Fleck highlights a coordinated effort behind the scenes-dubbed Project 2025 – to suppress any voices that challenge the administration’s Christian Nationalist ideology.
The stakes extend beyond artists to the very institutions that safeguard America’s cultural diversity. The question remains whether private museums and universities will stand firm in their commitments to globality and inclusion or capitulate under political pressure. Voices from academia, including Princeton and Harvard presidents, have begun rallying to defend academic and cultural independence.
As the administration pushes its agenda before the midterm elections, the arts community is mobilizing for a coordinated response. This moment, described by experts as a watershed, has thrust arts and culture into the national spotlight as a frontline in the battle for America’s democratic values and identity.
Despite the challenges, there is cautious optimism that this extreme moment will galvanize artists and institutions to reaffirm their vital role in society.In short, the Trump administration’s cultural offensive is not just a policy shift – it is a sweeping attempt to rewrite America’s cultural narrative by starving its creative institutions and silencing its artists.