Update (1:40 p.m.): On Friday afternoon after the initial publication of this column, National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet announced she would be stepping down from the position, of her own accord. She did not mention the president’s desire to fire her, or The Smithsonian’s statement released Monday, but acknowledged that the current circumstances led her to the decision.
“This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,” she said in a statement. “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.”
“We thank Kim for her service,” Bunch said in his email. “She put the needs of the Institution above her own, and for that we thank her.”
Our original story continues below.
In April I reported on how The Smithsonian got ensnared in President Donald Trump’s war on culture—and how, through some byzantine policy and legal mechanations, the institution is actually way more insulated from Trump’s whims than, say, the Kennedy Center. The Smithsonian is not part of the executive branch, and all changes to the Board of Regents are voted on by Congress, with no involvement from the president.
“The president’s theory behind his effort to assert control over The Smithsonian is The Smithsonian is part of the executive branch, and the president should be understood to have full control and supervision over the running of the executive branch,” Richard H. Pildes, the Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law at the NYU School of Law, told me at the time. “But the Justice Department has concluded many, many times over the years that The Smithsonian is not part of the executive branch, that it’s a unique entity from a legal perspective.”
And yet, Trump still attempted to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet, via Truth Social on May 30, saying she was “a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI.
“Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby [sic] terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,” he wrote.
But because The Smithsonian’s bylaws indicate that the president cannot fire the head of one of its museums, it was unclear what would transpire. After a few days, Sajet just kept on coming to work as if nothing had happened. The Board of Regents held a meeting Monday night, and afterward a spokesperson issued a statement making it clear all personnel changes must go through Secretary Lonnie Bunch, doubling down on The Smithsonian’s independence. It added that Bunch had the support of the board, which includes Vice President JD Vance and Chief Justice John Roberts.
“All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board. Lonnie G. Bunch, the Secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian,” the statement read.
The ball is now in Trump’s court. As of writing, the White House has not responded to a request for comment. Maybe he’s just…forgotten about the whole thing?
