The Trump administration suffered a stinging defeat on Presidents Day after a Bush-appointed judge ruled against it while citing the dystopian novel 1984.
U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled on Monday that an exhibit about nine people enslaved by George Washington be reinstated after the Trump administration ordered its removal last month.
The National Park Service removed the exhibit from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia in response to an executive order from Trump that was aimed at “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” The order instructed the Interior Department to ensure that the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks do not display anything that “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and the National Park Service for comment.
News cameras and onlookers recorded staff removing the exhibit late last month, with one park employee reportedly telling the Philadelphia Inquirer, “I’m just following my orders.”
The exhibit was located at the President’s House site in Philadelphia, where George and Martha Washington lived along with nine people enslaved by the couple when the city was briefly the nation’s capital.
Rufe ruled that all materials must be restored in their original condition while a lawsuit challenging the legality of the removal filed by Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker plays out.
Trump’s executive order, issued on March 27, 2025, and titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” stated that, “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.”
“This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.”
In her ruling, Rufe referenced George Orwell’s 1984, writing, “As if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts.”
“It does not.”
The Trump administration has sought to whitewash history at multiple historical sites around the country, including removing a pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City just last week and erasing references to transgender people on the National Park Service’s website for the monument.
References to the dispossession and mistreatment of Native Americans were also removed from an exhibit at Grand Canyon National Park, and roadside displays addressing climate change, pollution and mining were also flagged for potential removal.
Senior vice president of government affairs for the National Parks Conservation Association Kristen Brengel told the Washington Post that the White House’s efforts should “offend every American.”
“We are capable of hearing about our tragedies and our victories, and this systematic erasure should concern everyone in our country.”
MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow celebrated the ruling on the Monday night edition of her show, quoting extensively from the ruling—noting that Rufe was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush—and telling viewers, “Happy Presidents’ Day, Philadelphia. You are getting your history put back up by court order at the President’s House.”
