Two weeks after President Donald Trump claimed he’d fired her because she’s a “highly partisan person,” the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery director, Kim Sajet, announced she was stepping down.
In a memo sent to staff Friday, first obtained by The New York Times, Sajet didn’t address Trump’s attacks but said she believed this was the right move for the museum.
“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,” she said in a memo sent out by Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch. “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.”
Bunch praised Sajet, saying she “put the needs of the Institution above her own, and for that we thank her.”
In late May, Trump announced on social media that he was “terminating” Sajet, who’d held the position for 12 years and was the first female 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,” the president wrote, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Trump’s authority to fire Sajet from the Smithsonian, which is not part of the executive branch, immediately came into question, and Sajet continued to show up to work through Friday.
The White House acknowledged Sajet’s departure Friday, with spokesperson Davis Ingle saying in a statement: “On day one, President Trump made clear that there is no place for dangerous anti-American ideology in our government and institutions. In align[ment] with this objective, he ordered the termination of Kim Sajet. The Trump Administration is committed to restoring American greatness and celebrating our nation’s proud history.”
Anna Melnykova, "Palace of Labor (palats praci), architector I. Pretro, 1916", shot with analog Canon camera, 35 mm Fuji film in March 2022.
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