The order came down late in the evening, when the orangutans, lions, and crocodiles would be resting. The next morning, March 28, the animals awoke to a new political reality: The world’s most powerful man had taken an acute interest in their place of lodging, the National Zoo. President Donald Trump had directed Vice President J. D. Vance to rid the Smithsonian Institution of all “improper ideology.” As a ward of the Smithsonian, the zoo was not only covered by this mandate; it was specifically mentioned as one of the…
