US President Donald Trump says he is firing Kim Sajet, the first female director of the Smithsonian‘s National Portrait Gallery.
Trump announced the termination on Friday (30 May) in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
He wrote: “Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as director of the National Portrait Gallery.
“She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly.”
Via the New York Times, it’s unclear if Trump has legal grounds to fire Sajet as the National Portrait Gallery is part of the Smithsonian and independent of the federal government.
The organisation was caught off-guard by the president’s announcement, a Smithsonian spokesperson told the publication.
Sajet, a Dutch national, was born in Nigeria and raised in Australia.
She was appointed director of the National Portrait Gallery in 2013. Before that, she served as president and chief executive of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Kim Sajet is “a strong supporter of DEI”, says Trump
As above, Trump said Sajet is a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which his administration opposes.
Earlier this year, the Smithsonian Institution closed its diversity office in order to comply with an executive order issued by Trump that declared DEI initiatives to be “illegal and immoral discrimination programs”.
Trump later issued another executive order targeting the Smithsonian and directing the removal of any “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology” from its museums.
Images courtesy of the Smithsonian
