Donald Trump signed a new executive order that changes how the government talks about history.

Don’t have much time? Want a really simple explanation? Welcome to “Explain Like I’m 10” where I break down political jargon into easy-to-understand tidbits.

“Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”

What that means:
Trump is saying people are lying about history when they talk about racism or injustice. This is how some people try to shut down conversations they don’t like, especially conversations that make them uncomfortable.

“Once widely respected as a symbol of American excellence… the Smithsonian Institution has, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology.”

He specifically calls out a real exhibit:

“The Smithsonian American Art Museum today features ‘The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,’ an exhibit representing that ‘[s]ocieties including the United States have used race to establish and maintain systems of power, privilege, and disenfranchisement.’”

What that means:
This exhibit is telling the truth: race was used to give power to some people while holding others down. That’s not “divisive.” That’s just facts. But Trump wants this kind of truth erased from public museums.

“[The exhibit] promotes the view that race is not a biological reality but a social construct, stating ‘Race is a human invention.’”

What that means:
This is something most scientists and doctors agree on. Race is made-up by humans. Ethnicity is real: you can be German or Mexican or African, but race is a social construct (like “white” or “Black”). The order makes this sound like a lie.

“The forthcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum plans on celebrating the exploits of male athletes participating in women’s sports.”

Later in the order, it says:

“Celebrate the achievements of women in the American Women’s History Museum and do not recognize men as women in any respect in the Museum.”

What that means:
This is a direct attack on trans women. Trump is trying to stop museums from including trans people in the story of American women. That’s discrimination, plain and simple. Transgender people have always been part of American history, pioneering marriage equality movements and anti-discrimination ordinances.

“The Vice President… shall work to effectuate the policies of this order… including by seeking to remove improper ideology from such properties.”

What that means:
Trump wants J.D. Vance to help control what museums are allowed to say, and push out anything he doesn’t like. That includes anything about race, gender, or power in America. This might include real history about real things that make conservatives uncomfortable, like slavery or police brutality.

“Ensure that future appropriations to the Smithsonian Institution… prohibit expenditure on exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.”

What that means:
If a museum tells the truth about racism or inequality, Trump wants to take away their funding. This is an attempt to force museums to only tell his version of history.

“Determine whether… monuments, memorials, statues… have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history… [and] take action to reinstate the pre-existing monuments…”

What that means:
This opens the door to bringing back statues of racist figures, including Confederate leaders and slave owners, and calling it “restoring truth.”

“[Ensure monuments]… do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living… and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”

What that means:
He wants to ban anything that says anything bad about people from the past, even if they did horrible things. The only story he wants told is “America is great,” even if that means hiding the truth.

This executive order is part of a bigger plan to control our ability to tell the truth about the history of this country, which was founded on the genocide of indigenous people and the slave labor of African people.

At If I Can’t Dance Club, we believe that the truth matters.