President Donald Trump has reportedly set his sights on yet another museum: the 9/11 Memorial.
According to two White House officials, the president is exploring ways that the federal government could take control of the museum, though it’s unclear exactly how it would gain power over the site, The New York Times reported.
His campaign promises may provide a clue: Last year, Trump pledged that he would designate the site a national monument.
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum would be the administration’s latest acquisition in its quest to control America’s cultural institutions. Trump is currently pressuring the Smithsonian to eliminate exhibits that represent “improper ideology.” The president is also on a mission to restore and replace Confederate statues.
In this case, it seems that Trump’s interest in the site could stem from complaints made by 9/11 victims’ families about the memorial. For years, some have complained about high ticket prices and the large salaries earned by museum leadership. The tickets are $36 for adult admission, with veterans and the families of victims receiving free entry.
As the 9/11 memorial’s current leadership pointed out, taking over the museum would be a bad financial move for a government hypothetically focused on cost efficiency. “At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense,” Beth Hillman, the president and chief executive of the memorial, said in a statement to the Times.
And as far as Marc La Vorgna, another spokesperson for the museum, knows, there’s no legal way for Trump to mount his takeover.
“We are certain that there is nothing in existing law that would give the federal government the unilateral ability to take the site over,” he said in a statement.
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