The Trump administration has removed a slavery-focused exhibition from the home of former US President George Washington in Philadelphia, replacing it with another display, the Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday, officials swapped the exhibit at Washington’s former residence with a different version. Historians cited by the AP said the replacement is not historically accurate.
In a statement posted on X, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city remained “committed to the honest and accurate portrayal of history at the President’s House.”
“A portrayal that was the hard-fought and hard-won result of the effort of countless federal, state, and local officials as well as advocates, including Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, dedicated to telling the truth,” Parker added.
Panels removed before the new display
Parker said that during the previous night the federal government removed panels at the President’s House that, she said, presented a thorough history of Philadelphia.
She said the Trump administration had the authority to make the change following a federal court decision. The mayor did not provide further details of the ruling in her statement.
The exhibition being replaced had been designed to describe the lives of enslaved people who lived in the former executive mansion. It included information about nine people enslaved by Washington.
Washington lived in the house, along with John Adams, before the White House was built. The location later became associated with the presidential era as part of the federal historical site.
Exhibit opened 16 years ago
The slavery exhibit opened 16 years ago. It was presented as part of the public interpretation of Washington’s Philadelphia home, and it aimed to document the presence of enslaved people in the former mansion.
According to the AP, the administration’s newly installed version has been criticised by historians who argue that it does not reflect the historical record in the same way as the previous display.
The AP said the change followed the removal and reinstatement of the exhibition in earlier months, indicating that the exhibit’s future has been contested through both legal and administrative action.
Earlier removal and court deadline
This was not the first time the exhibit had been taken down. It was removed in January, but restored in February after a federal judge set a deadline ordering the National Park Service (NPS) to bring the display back.
The NPS is responsible for managing the site, and the February reinstatement occurred before the deadline established by the court.
In the AP report, The Hill said it had reached out to the Department of the Interior for comment. The Department of the Interior oversees the NPS.
What the dispute centres on
At the centre of the dispute is how the President’s House presents slavery and the enslavement linked to the historic residence. Parker, speaking for the city, said Philadelphia would continue to push for what she described as an “accurate portrayal” of the history connected to the site.
The administration’s actions, according to the mayor and the AP, were carried out under federal authority after litigation, even as historians raised concerns about the historical accuracy of the replacement materials.
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16 July 2026
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