National Portrait Gallery Director Resigns After Trump Fired Her

Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG), has resigned just days after the Smithsonian Institution attempted to challenge President Trump’s firing of her.

Two weeks ago, Trump claimed he was firing Sajet. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on May 30, Trump announced that he would be dismissing the director of the NPG for being “highly partisan” as “a strong supporter” of diversity initiatives that his administration opposes.

Last week, the Smithsonian — which oversees the NPG alongside 20 other museums as well as libraries and research centers — rejected Trump’s attempt to fire Sajet. In a statement, it said that the president does not have authority over the institution’s staff and confirmed that it controls its own hiring decisions.

However, on Friday, Sajet announced that she would be stepping down from her position as director of the NPG explaining that she thought her decision was in the best interests of the institution.

“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,” Sajet says in a statement, according to The New York Times. “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.”

Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian secretary, thanked Sajet for her resignation in an internal email that was obtained by multiple news outlets.

“We thank Kim for her service. Her decision to put the museum first is to be applauded and appreciated. I know this was not an easy decision. She put the needs of the Institution above her own, and for that we thank her,” Bunch writes. “We are grateful to Kim for leading the National Portrait Gallery with passion and creativity for 12 years. Throughout her tenure, she has reimagined and reshaped the impact and storytelling of portraiture.”

Appointed in 2013, Sajet became the first female director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The gallery, which was founded by Congress in 1962, has a collection of more than 250,000 original photographic images of which at least 130,000 are original negatives. It also boasts the only complete collection of presidential portraits and photos outside the White House.

Sajet’s resignation Trump fired Librarian of Congress Shira Perlmutter, the leader of the United States Copyright Office due to her focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.