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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump said Friday that he has fired Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery.
Trump posted on Truth Social, "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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
Newsweek reached out to Sajet via email on Friday afternoon for comment.
Read More on Politics
A White House official told Newsweek that Sajet had donated to former President Joe Biden's campaign, as well as to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential run.
They also referred to Sajet's curation of a portrait of Trump, which has the caption "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."
Why It Matters
Trump has frequently attacked the national network of museums and cultural institutions, labeling them as left-leaning and unpatriotic. This spring, he removed the chairman and president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, replacing much of the board with loyalists and naming himself as chairman. In early May, he also abruptly dismissed Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
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What to Know About Kim Sajet
Sajet was born in Nigeria and raised in Australia. She is also a citizen of the Netherlands. Sajet has been the director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., since 2013. She is the first woman to lead the gallery since its founding in 1962.
Sajet was appointed as director by then-Secretary of the Smithsonian Wayne Clough, who led the institution at the time. As with most senior Smithsonian leadership roles, the appointment did not require Senate confirmation and was made internally by the institution's executive leadership.
Sajet holds multiple advanced degrees, including a Master's in Art History, a Master's in Business Administration, and a Doctorate in Liberal Studies.
Prior to joining the Smithsonian, she served as president and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and held curatorial and leadership roles at institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
What Is the Director of the National Portrait Gallery's Role?
The director's role is to oversee the overall vision, operations, and strategic direction of the NPG.
In her role, Sajet was responsible for selecting which artworks were displayed in the gallery and determining their placement, in alignment with the NPG's mission. Fundraising, public engagement, and representing the gallery at both national and international levels are also part of the job.
The merit-based appointment is supposed to be nonpartisan, without ties to any particular administration. The president does not have the power to appoint the NPG director; instead, that responsibility is meant to be in the hands of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
Trump issued an executive order on March 27, which said his administration would "restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness." In part, that involves removing what the administration views as "improper ideology."
What Does the White House Say?
A White House official shared several examples with Newsweek, which the administration believes demonstrate that Sajet was partisan in her role.
Alongside the reported donations to Biden and Clinton's campaigns, as they ran against Trump, the White House stated at multiple times during her tenure that Sajet had shown bias against the president, as well as pushed DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies that no longer align with his agenda.
Examples of this alleged behavior included interviews and statements regarding the NPG's efforts to make its offerings more inclusive and providing more context on the production of certain artworks.
One such painting depicted an immigrant family attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border wall using a ladder. The artwork was created in 2020 and was a finalist in the National Portrait Gallery's 2022 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.
What Happened Next
While the president announced Sajet's firing on Truth Social, it was not immediately clear if he had the power to do so.
Update 5/30/25, 2:15 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 5/30/25, 2:28 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 5/30/25, 4:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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