President Trump has announced that he’s firing the head of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery after her 12-year tenure. Trump made the announcement on social media, stating that Kim Sajet’s support of DEI is “totally inappropriate,” and for that reason, he believes she can no longer remain in her role.
Trump has been a vocal critic of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, often blaming it for various societal problems. On Truth Social, he claimed that Sajet is “partisan” and therefore unfit to remain in her role — at least, in his view. It’s worth noting that Kim Sajet is the first woman to lead the National Portrait Gallery in its long, storied history. The fact that her support for DEI is being cited as grounds for her dismissal not only undermines the GOP’s claims that DEI promotes incompetence — it also raises serious questions about whether this firing is even legal in the first place.
