President Donald Trump announced the firing of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery director.
The president terminated Kim Sajet from the post she's held since 2013, saying the Nigerian-born, Australia-raised Dutch citizen was too in thrall to the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion to oversee the museum's collection of about 26,000 objects that draws about 2 million yearly visitors.
"Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery," Trump posted Friday afternoon on his social site, Truth Social. "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!"
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Sajet said in a recent interview that Trump's portrait has been completed but would remain in storage until 2029, after he leaves office, as is customary, but a 2017 photo is on display with a delicately worded, 161-word caption.
"Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials," the caption reads. "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.”
