Michael McDonald is a long-serving conservative legal strategist and government official who has spent over two decades at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), joining in 2003 as General Counsel—a position he held primarily thereafter, with earlier roles including Deputy General Counsel—and aligning with traditionalist humanities and conservative legal circles. He previously served as Acting Chairman under President Trump. On March 12-14, 2025, following the resignation of Chair Shelly Lowe at President Trump's direction, McDonald was designated Acting Chairman, serving until January 2026. On February 4, 2026, President Trump nominated him to be Chairperson of the NEH for a four-year term. He was also appointed by President Biden to the National Council on the Humanities, with a term from February 2, 2022, to February 2, 2026. Prior to his expanded NEH leadership, McDonald served as President of the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), a conservative public interest law firm known for litigating cases involving free speech, civil rights, and federalism from a conservative perspective. As Acting Chairman, McDonald oversaw significant changes at NEH, including the termination of 1,477 previously awarded grants using a process involving DOGE recommendations and ChatGPT analysis, often targeting projects perceived as DEI-related. This prompted lawsuits from organizations including the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), American Historical Association (AHA), and Modern Language Association (MLA), alleging improper procedures and bias, including against Jewish-themed grants. Discovery in these cases revealed McDonald solicited a grant application from the Tikvah Fund after terminations, leading to NEH's largest-ever award of $10.4 million in September 2025 for the 'Jewish Civilization Project' to combat antisemitism, despite external council non-recommendation. Critics, including Rep. Chellie Pingree, accused the administration of turning NEH into a political tool, with Pingree stating in 2025: 'The administration's actions represent an unprecedented politicization of the humanities, turning a non-partisan agency into a tool for ideological warfare.' Supporters praised the reorientation toward traditional humanities.