Trump Demands Artists Create Fake, Narrow Portrait of America
Delray Beach, FL— In a powerful assertion of artistic freedom and democratic values, Truth Wins Out today commends acclaimed painter Amy Sherald for her courageous decision to withdraw her solo exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery—“Amy Sherald: American Sublime”—after learning that museum officials had considered removing her landmark work, Trans Forming Liberty, a depiction of a transgender woman posed as the Statue of Liberty.
“The Trump administration demands artists create a fake portrait of America, based on a backward and narrow interpretation of our country,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen.” Sherald’s withdrawal is a striking rebuke to censorship efforts driven by the Trump administration’s political agenda, and a clarion call to protect freedom of expression in our nation’s premier cultural institutions.”
Besen continued: “Truth Wins Out urges the Smithsonian Institution’s leadership and the Smithsonian Board of Regents to reverse any moves toward censorship and to reaffirm their commitment to artistic freedom. We call on Congress to scrutinize the legality of the executive order’s mandates on the Smithsonian and to defend the independence of cultural institutions from political interference.”
Sherald’s exhibition, slated to open on September 19, 2025, would have marked the first solo museum show by a Black contemporary artist at the National Portrait Gallery. According to The New York Times, the decision to cancel came after internal discussions about excluding Trans Forming Liberty—the centerpiece of the survey—due to concerns over its portrayal of a transgender individual as a universal symbol of American freedom. By standing firm against this attempt to whitewash our national narrative, Sherald has defiantly upheld the principles of inclusivity and honesty that define a healthy democracy.
“Amy Sherald’s refusal to capitulate to censorship is an act of profound integrity and patriotism,” said TWO’s Besen. “By withdrawing from the Smithsonian rather than compromising her vision, Sherald has defended the bedrock principle that art must tell the unvarnished truth about who we are and who we aspire to be. Her courage reminds us that democracy depends not on a single, approved narrative but on the free exchange of ideas and the voices of all Americans.”
Trans Forming Liberty reimagines the iconic torch‑bearing figure of Lady Liberty as a transgender woman, challenging viewers to expand their understanding of who belongs in America’s story and who embodies its ideals. Museum insiders reportedly debated whether politically conservative pressure from the White House—advocating a return to a narrow, “traditional” portrayal of American icons—justified the painting’s removal. Sherald’s withdrawal underlines the corrosive impact of such pressure: it demands that artists produce a false, monochrome portrayal of our country—one stripped of the diverse voices and experiences that truly define us.
This action unfolds against the backdrop of President Trump’s March 2025 executive order, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” which mandates that federally funded cultural institutions purge “divisive, race‑centered ideology” from their exhibits and collections. Under this directive, the Smithsonian has been ordered to remove any content deemed “improper” or counter to a “sanitized” vision of American greatness, a move widely criticized by historians and cultural leaders as an authoritarian attempt to whitewash the past and stifle critical reflection.
Sherald’s prominence in contemporary art is the product of both her visionary technique and her unflinching commitment to portraying subjects often marginalized in mainstream representation. In 2017, she was selected by former First Lady Michelle Obama to paint the official portrait that now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery—sharing that honor with Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of President Barack Obama. Her distinctive use of grayscale skin tones, inspired by early black‑and‑white photography, compels viewers to engage with her subjects’ humanity beyond the confines of racial stereotypes.
“By daring to depict a transgender woman as Lady Liberty, Amy Sherald not only expands the canon of American iconography but also exposes the hypocrisy of those who seek to redefine patriotism in narrow, exclusionary terms,” added Besen. “The Trump administration’s demand that artists produce a bland, sanitized version of our national identity is an affront to every American who cherishes freedom of thought and creativity. Sherald’s stand is a beacon of resistance against this cultural regression.”
About Truth Wins Out
Truth Wins Out is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to advance liberty and democracy, protect the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities, combat religious extremism, and fight against the spread of disinformation.
Contact: Wayne Besen, Executive Director, wbesen@truthwinsout.org