President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing Vice President JD Vance - a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents - to eliminate "improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology" from Smithsonian museums,

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting the Smithsonian Institution, which operates more than 20 museums and research centres visited by millions yearly in Washington DC and New York City.

The order directs the vice president to eliminate what he finds “improper” from the Smithsonian Institution, including its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.