Trump announced in a post on Truth Social on Friday that he had fired Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. He described her as ‘a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI’. The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Smithsonian Institution, which is not a government agency. It remains unclear whether Trump has the authority to terminate Sajet’s employment.
The Smithsonian Institution, composed of 21 museums, was targeted by the Trump administration via the 27 March Executive Order, ‘Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History’, that states the Institution has recently ‘come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology’.
Sajet has been the director of the National Portrait Gallery since 2013, following her roles as director and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and deputy director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 2022, she told the New York Times that the National Portrait Gallery’s collection had been limited to ‘the wealthy, the pale and the male’ for centuries. She expressed an interest in highlighting stories that were historically omitted from the museum.
The National Portrait Gallery’s is currently presenting the exhibition America’s Presidents, which features portraits of every US president. The label accompanying Matt McClain’s portrait of Trump reads: ‘Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. After losing to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump mounted a historic comeback in the 2024 election. He is the only president aside from Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) to have won a nonconsecutive second term.’
Trump stated that Sajet’s replacement would be named shortly.
16 June: Kim Sajet has resigned following Trump’s announcement of her firing on 30 May. Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s under secretary for Museums and Culture, will serve as the National Portrait Gallery’s acting director until a permanent replacement for Sajet’s role is found.
Sajet was the museum’s first female director. She worked to diversify its collection and offerings, including launching its Identify performance art series and the Portrait of a Nation Awards in 2015. She also reportedly increased the institution’s endowment during her tenure.
‘It has been the honor of a lifetime to lead the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery,’ Sajet said in a statement. ‘This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one. From the very beginning, my guiding principle has been to put the museum first. Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart’.
