WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet, citing her support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts—a move that escalates his ongoing campaign against progressive policies in federal institutions.
The firing, announced Friday, raised immediate legal and constitutional questions, as the Smithsonian Institution, which oversees the gallery, is largely autonomous despite being federally funded.
Sajet, a Nigerian-born art historian, has led the Portrait Gallery since 2013 and was widely recognized for steering the institution toward a more inclusive narrative of American history.
Under her leadership, the museum made bold curatorial decisions that highlighted underrepresented voices in art and history—efforts Trump now appears to be actively rolling back.
Trump called Sajet “inappropriate for the role,” accusing her of politicizing the gallery by prioritizing diversity over what he described as “American excellence.”
Sajet has not publicly responded to the move, but her past remarks suggest a deep commitment to confronting historical exclusion in cultural institutions.
“Where are all the women and African Americans?” she said in a 2015 interview with The Washington Post. “We can’t correct the ills of history… but how are we going to show the presence of absence?”
The dismissal is part of a broader cultural reshaping campaign by Trump, who has already removed several members from the board of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and controversially appointed himself as chairman.
The Trump team has framed DEI as a form of “reverse discrimination” and claims merit and tradition are being sacrificed for political correctness.
It remains unclear whether the president has the legal authority to remove Sajet, as the Smithsonian operates under a unique public trust charter.
