Trump fires National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet over DEI support

UPDATED: May 31, 2025 05:28 IST

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had fired the director of the Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., describing her as a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and saying she was inappropriate for the role.

Trump did not cite any specific actions or comments by Kim Sajet that may have triggered her firing, which he announced in a brief social media post.

Representatives for Sajet, the Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution, which owns the museum, did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

"Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet," Trump said in his post on Truth Social.

"She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position." He added a new gallery director would be named soon.

Sajet was the first woman to serve as director of the gallery, a landmark Washington institution that houses portraits of distinguished Americans, including every president. It contains over 26,000 works, according to its website.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump had the legal authority to fire Sajet. The Smithsonian is technically independent of the federal government, despite receiving most of its budget from the U.S. Congress.

Sajet's firing is the latest salvo in Trump's war against DEI initiatives. It also comes as Trump seeks to reshape the capital's arts and culture scene, including by dismissing Kennedy Center board members and installing himself as chairman.

Trump's DEI actions have alarmed advocates, who say they effectively erase decades of hard-fought progress on leveling the playing field for marginalized communities. Trump's administration claims DEI initiatives are discriminatory and stifle merit.

Sajet, a Nigerian-born art historian, has served as the gallery's director since 2013. In a 2015 interview with the Washington Post, Sajet reflected on the gallery's efforts to examine issues of race and gender.

"Where are all the women and African Americans?" Sajet told the Post of the gallery's collection.

"We can't correct the ills of history. Women and men and women of color — their portraits weren't taken. How are we going to show the presence of absence?"

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