Submitted by Anonymous

April 21, 2025

At a time when the Trump Administration is quickly altering public interpretations of history and removing references to the past on websites and public spaces, it is vital that historians keep track of what is changing. The Early Republic Tracker is dedicated to documenting instances where the federal government is removing facts and stories essential to the public’s understanding American history from public historical sites, museums, websites, and executive agencies.

Where/When did the changes take place?

• The White House’s presidential biography page for Abraham Lincoln (https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/) on or shortly after January 20, 2025

What changed?

• The biography of President Abraham Lincoln was deleted from the White House’s website. It was replaced with a 404 error message stating, “Page Not Found,” with a “Go Home” link which redirects users to a large, promotional photo of Donald J. Trump.

Why does the change matter?

• Lincoln was one of America’s most important presidents. To replace Lincoln’s historically accurate bio with a photo of President Trump is in keeping with a larger pattern of attempts to alter and erase American history. It is particularly damaging to public and private schools across the U.S. because multiple history teachers relied on that now-deleted Lincoln bio to teach their students about President Lincoln’s life and accomplishments.

Website/location/document where change was made?

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/

Evidence of change?

Additional sources?

• See the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine archive of the page at https://web.archive.org/web/20250000000000*/https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/