In a recent post on his social media platform, former President Donald Trump announced that he is firing the first female director of the National Portrait Gallery. The stated reason was a caption within the gallery that referenced the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

Trump accused Sajet – who is described as being born in Nigeria, raised in Australia, and a citizen of the Netherlands – of being “a strong supporter” of diversity initiatives and “highly partisan,” without providing substantiating evidence.

Legal experts, including Eric Columbus, a former litigator for the January 6 select committee, have questioned whether Trump has the authority to fire Sajet, given that the gallery is part of the Smithsonian, which is not under direct executive branch control.

The National Portrait Gallery’s collection of portraits of American presidents included the following text about Trump: “Impeached twice, on charges of abuse of power and incitement of insurrection after supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he was acquitted by the Senate in both trials. 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.”

Sajet, who arrived in the US in 1997, previously held positions at the philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. She was appointed director of the National Portrait Gallery in 2013.

The National Portrait Gallery, established in 1968, is located in Washington DC and is part of the Smithsonian institution. It holds the distinction of possessing the only complete collection of presidential portraits outside the White House.

Earlier this year, after beginning his second presidency in January, Trump issued an executive order aimed at removing what he termed “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution’s museums.

Sajet previously stated that the gallery under her leadership tried “very hard to be even-handed when we talk about people and that’s the key”.

“Everyone has an opinion about American presidents, good, bad and indifferent,” Sajet said. “We hear it all, but generally I think we’ve done pretty well.”

The Smithsonian Institution

“Everyone has an opinion about American presidents, good, bad and indifferent,” Sajet said.