President Trump intensified his push to impose a more positive view of American history by moving to curb the independence of the Smithsonian Institution, which he wants to make into a “symbol of inspiration and American greatness.”

In an executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” Mr. Trump took aim at what he described as a “revisionist movement” across the country that “seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” His order claimed that the Smithsonian, in particular, had “come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and that it promotes “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

Mr. Trump called on Vice President JD Vance, a member of the Smithsonian’s board, to work with Congress to prohibit expenditures on exhibitions or programs that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans by race or promote ideologies inconsistent with federal law.” His executive order also called for making sure that the American Women’s History Museum, which is under development, does not “recognize men as women in any respect.”

The Smithsonian, which has 21 museums, libraries, research centers and the National Zoo, appeared to be caught off-guard by the order. When contacted by a reporter shortly after it was released on Thursday evening, several leaders said they were just learning about the new order themselves. The announcement recalled Mr. Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center last month, when he purged Biden appointees from the formerly bipartisan board and installed himself as its chairman.

A spokeswoman for the Smithsonian declined to comment. The institution had closed its diversity office shortly after the president signed a January executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs at organizations receiving federal money. The Smithsonian receives nearly two-thirds of its $1 billion budget from the federal government, as appropriated by Congress.

In another passage of the order that could have sweeping implications, Mr. Trump directed the secretary of the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, to determine whether, since 2020, “public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdiction have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history.”

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.