Trump asks Smithsonian to install George Washington statues, exhibition

US President Donald Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution on Friday to install statues of George Washington, in his latest bid to reshape the treasured museum and research complex.

Trump, who has sought to root out what he called "woke" culture, has accused the Smithsonian -- which operates 21 museums and galleries --- of trying to rewrite American history on issues of race and gender.

A 162-page White House report said that Smithsonian leadership has "consistently denigrated and displaced whites, males, Christians, and Americans in educational materials and programming".

Trump called for the installation of a 30-foot (nine-meter) "Colossus statue" of George Washington, a founding father and the first US president, and an exhibition honoring his legacy at The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington.

Trump also said he wanted the 11-foot (three-meter) statue of Washington that featured in August's Freedom 250 IndyCar motor race to go on display in the museum's Flag Hall.

The president asked for a five-year exhibition continuing through February 22, 2032 -- the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth -- to honor his "Life and Legacy."

"He is easily America's Greatest Hero. Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn't exist," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"And yet, during our Nation's 250th Anniversary Year, the Museum has failed to give George Washington and our other Founding Fathers the celebration they deserve."

The Smithsonian was created by the federal government in 1846 but operates in a unique position outside any branch of government.