Rigoberto González: How Trump Targeted His Art at the Smithsonian as too Woke

This episode features a deeply personal and politically charged conversation with a celebrated Mexican-American artist whose work has been removed from the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery under pressure from the Trump administration, labeled as "woke." Born in Reynosa, Mexico and raised in San Juan, Texas, our guest has spent decades using Baroque techniques to illuminate the immigrant experience — the violence, the hope, and the geopolitical forces that drive people to risk everything crossing a border. We explore the origins of his art, his mother's kitchen-table magic with a pencil, the harsh realities of the border crisis, the weaponization of the word "woke," and what censorship by one of America's most iconic cultural institutions means for art, truth, and democracy. A must-listen for anyone following the Trump administration's assault on cultural institutions — and for anyone who believes art should make us uncomfortable.