The Smithsonian Castle
Last week, Trump announced on social media that he was firing Sajet from her position as director of the NPG due to her being “a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position.” Of course, DEI refers to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that have become a prime target of the barely six-month-old administration. Sajet has served as NPG Director since 2013, having previously held several leadership positions, including deputy director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. At the time of the announcement, Trump did not name a specific incident that could be used as grounds for her firing. When asked, the administration provided a seventeen-point list of incidents in which they asserted Sajet had behaved inappropriately or spoken out of turn. Many of these points seem to focus on moments where she was critical of Trump specifically. In the ongoing presidential portrait exhibition, for example, Trump’s portrait involves written material that mentions his two impeachments and his “incitement of insurrection”. But there seems to be another issue. Does the president have the power to fire her?
Despite the president’s insistence, many have pointed out that Trump, in his capacity as president, does not have the power to hire or fire any of the museum directors of the Smithsonian Institution, of which the National Portrait Gallery is a part. That is up to the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents. Several members of that governing body are close to the president, including Vice President JD Vance. However, they have not taken action on this matter. Accordingly, Sajet has continued coming into work despite Trump’s assertions. Gary Peters, a senator from Michigan who serves as a regent of the Smithsonian, said that the board will discuss this issue. He said that, clearly, the president “has no authority whatsoever to fire [Sajet]” since the Smithsonian is “an independent institution, and the director of the Smithsonian is the one who she reports to, and that’s the person who makes the decision as to hiring and firing of individuals.” Several other members of Congress have spoken out against Trump’s move. Representatives Joseph Morelle of New York and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, both of them ranking Democratic members in their respective committees, took note that the president lacks the authority to make such a move and that Sajet’s supposed firing “has the same legal weight as the President’s prior attempts to undermine the Smithsonian’s independence: absolutely none. Should the White House require a copy of the Constitution, we would be more than happy to provide one.”
The Smithsonian has been a focal point for Trump’s cultural and educational policy. He has attacked the Smithsonian, saying that the organization actively promotes “improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology”. An executive order he signed directs the vice president “to effectuate the policies of this order through his role on the Smithsonian Board of Regents […] by seeking to remove improper ideology from such properties”. Despite these attempts, the Smithsonian, under the leadership of director Lonnie Bunch, has stood firm. Bunch has been applauded for his resistance to Trump’s attempts to exercise control over the large collection of twenty-one museums and fourteen research centers.