Leadership Quote by Xavier Becerra

Becerra’s sentence is political velvet: soft enough to soothe, structured enough to signal control. Calling the Smithsonian “endearing treasures” wraps a sprawling federal institution in the language of sentiment, not bureaucracy. That’s the point. Museums are one of the few civic arenas where patriotism can be worn as taste rather than ideology, and “this country’s” quietly claims them as shared property at a moment when “shared” is contested.

The verbs do the real work. “Maintain” is reassurance to donors, curators, and lawmakers who fear upheaval: continuity, competence, no drama. “Enhance” is the promise every appointee makes when they can’t yet name a policy agenda: progress without specifying whose vision of progress. It’s an upgrade word, the kind that fits everything from conservation budgets to blockbuster exhibitions to digital expansion, and therefore commits to almost nothing while still sounding ambitious.

Then there’s “coveted works of art,” a phrase that flatters the institution’s prestige and the public’s desire. “Coveted” slips in a market logic - scarcity, value, competition - that’s become inseparable from cultural legitimacy. It also hints at geopolitics and repatriation debates without stepping into them. In today’s context, where museums are asked to answer for provenance, representation, and public funding, Becerra’s intent is clear: position himself as a steward of national culture, above the fray, while leaving maximum room to maneuver once the inevitable controversies arrive.