In a recent panel discussion on CNN, fitness icon and former Democrat Jillian Michaels challenged the prevailing narrative on slavery, history, and the Smithsonian's exhibits.
The panel discussion was held in the context of the Trump administration's comprehensive review of the Smithsonian Institution, a process initiated in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of America's founding next year.
The review aims to ensure that national museums and related exhibits reflect "the unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story."
The panel, which included Democrat strategist Julie Roginsky, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Scott Jennings, and CNN host Abby Phillip, was discussing the Smithsonian's content review when Michaels took issue with the reductionist narrative of "white people bad."
According to Gateway Pundit, the discussion took a heated turn when Roginsky accused conservatives of attempting to "whitewash" American history to appease the "MAGA base."
Michaels countered this accusation, arguing that reviewing biased exhibits is not equivalent to erasing history but rather removing political propaganda from taxpayer-funded museums. When Roginsky brought up slavery as an example,
Michaels responded assertively, a move that did not sit well with Torres, who labeled America's history as a "system of white supremacy."
Michaels stood her ground, criticizing the Smithsonian's narrative for its historical inaccuracies, such as exhibits portraying Cuban migration as a result of "white people bad" rather than the reality of escaping communist dictator Fidel Castro.
The conversation between Roginsky and Michaels went as follows:
Julie Roginsky: "Hes effectively now got some random person deciding what is appropriate for the Smithsonian to teach in terms of American historythings that dont offend parts of the MAGA base. Were now literally reviewing parts of American history and parts of American culture to make sure it comports with dear leader and what the MAGA organization wants."
Jillian Michaels: "Can we address some of those things that are in there?.. Have you looked at some of the things that are being reviewed?"
Julie Roginsky: "Yeah, slavery was a bad thing that we should talk about."
Jillian Michaels: "Hes not whitewashing slavery."
Julie Roginsky: "Hes not?"
Jillian Michaels: "No, hes not. You cannot tie imperialism and racism and slavery to just one race, which is pretty much what every single exhibit does Do you realize that only less than 2% of white Americans owned slaves?"
Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY): "But it was a system of white supremacy."
Jillian Michaels: "Do you realize that slavery is thousands of years old? Do you know who was the first race to try to end slavery?"
When host Abby Phillip attempted to steer the conversation towards a racial blame game, accusing Michaels of "litigating who benefited from slavery," Michaels retorted, accusing the panel of attempting to misrepresent her argument.
Abby Phillip: "Im really surprised. Im surprised that youre trying to litigate who was the beneficiary of slavery and who was not."
Jillian Michaels: "Im not. What Im trying to tell you is that"
Abby Phillips: "In the context of American history, what are you saying is incorrect by saying that it was white people oppressing black people?"
Jillian Michaels: "What I am saying is you cannotevery single thing is like, 'Oh, no, no, no, this is all because white people bad.' Thats just not the truth. For example, every single exhibitI have a list of every single onepeople migrated from Cuba because 'white people bad,' not because of Castro."
When Phillip tried to end the conversation, claiming there wasn't time to "litigate all of this," Michaels responded assertively.
Abby Phillips: "Jillian, you have a lot of stuff in front of you. What exactly are you talking about?"
Jillian Michaels: "Okay, Ill give you an example. Theres one called Change Your Game. This has been an installation there. 'Is gender testing fair in sports?' Then it goes on to talk about how its complex to do gender testing in sports. Its not complex. Its basic science. Thats untrue. Its XX chromosome, XY chromosome. Thats sports. Is it fair to have biological men competing against biological women in sports? No. But why is this in the Smithsonian? Its been completely captured."
Abby Phillips: "First of all, we dont have time to litigate all of this."
Jillian Michaels: "Of course we dont, because then youre going to lose the argument. Everything is racialized, just like youre trying to do to me now."
Abby Phillips: "Excuse me."
By the end of the discussion, Michaels had exposed the media strategy of the Left, which involves racializing every issue, promoting revisionist history, and shutting down any conversation that doesn't fit the narrative.
Abby Phillip: "Just to be clear, you brought up race. This was a conversation about the arts, and you brought up race."
Jillian Michaels: "It isnt, though."
Abby Phillip: "You brought up slavery, and you brought up the question of whether"
Jillian Michaels: "I actually didnt. You did."
Abby Phillip: "You brought up the question of whether or not slavery in the United States is about race. The answer is yes. Slavery in the United States is about race."
Jillian Michaels: "No, dont straw man my argument because thats not what I said."
Abby Phillip: "What are you talking about?"
Jillian Michaels: "[Julie Roginsky] brought up slavery. What I was talking about is that this isnt really about that. When you make every single exhibit about white imperialism, when it isnt relevant at all, that is a problem. When youre talking about Cubans leaving Cuba and you make it about 'white people bad,' thats not accurate. Thats my point."
Login