Latest news with #NationalPortraitGallery
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump says he fired National Portrait Gallery chief in latest conflict with arts
Donald Trump says he is firing the first female director of the National Portrait Gallery, which contained a caption that referenced the attack on the US Capitol that his supporters carried out in early 2021. The president announced the termination on Friday in a post on his social media platform that accused Sajet – born in Nigeria, raised in Australia and a citizen of the Netherlands – of being 'a strong supporter' of diversity initiatives that his administration opposes as well as 'highly partisan'. He cited no evidence for either claim. Legal experts, including Eric Columbus, a former litigator for the January 6 select committee, suggested Trump does not have the power to fire Sajet, since the gallery is part of the Smithsonian, which is not run by the executive branch. In its collection of portraits of American presidents, the gallery had this text about Trump: '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.' Sajet arrived in the US with her family in 1997, held positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and was appointed director of the National Portrait Gallery in 2013, according to a Guardian profile of her. Related: 'It reminds you of a fascist state': Smithsonian Institution braces for Trump rewrite of US history The National Portrait Gallery is an art museum in Washington DC that opened in 1968 and is part of the Smithsonian Institution. It boasts the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House. After beginning his second presidency in January, Trump issued an executive order directing the removal of 'improper, divisive or anti-American ideology' from the institution's storied museums. Sajet had said the gallery under her leadership tried 'very hard to be even-handed when we talk about people and that's the key'. 'Everyone has an opinion about American presidents, good, bad and indifferent,' Sajet said. 'We hear it all, but generally I think we've done pretty well.'
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Trump sacks National Portrait Gallery director, citing DEI support
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 read more US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had fired the director of the National 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 National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution, which owns the museum, did not immediately reply to requests for comment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD '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 levelling the playing field for marginalised 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. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD '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?'
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump sacks portrait gallery director over DEI support
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures, as he departs for Pennsylvania, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. Photo:REUTER US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had fired the director of the National 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 National 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. 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 US. Congress. Sajet's firing is the latest salvo in Trump's war against DEJ 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 a s 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 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?"
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Trump fires National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet over DEI support
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had fired the director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., describing her as a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and saying she was inappropriate for the 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 for Sajet, the National 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 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 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. 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 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 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?"Tune InMust Watch
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Trump Fires National Portrait Gallery Director
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on May 30 announced that he has dismissed the director of the National Portrait Gallery, an institution in Washington known for hosting portraits of U.S. presidents and other artwork. The National Portrait Gallery is part of the Smithsonian Institution and, along with the American Museum of Art, exhibits the portraits of every U.S. president alongside other prominent artwork by Americans and foreign artists. Famously, the facility houses one of four original 'Lansdowne Portraits' of President George Washington, as well as Kehinde Wiley's widely acclaimed portrait of former President Barack Obama.
