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Smithsonian Institution Rejects Trump's Attempt to Fire National Portrait Gallery Director
- Following a quarterly meeting of its Board of Regents in Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian Institution issued a statement Monday evening affirming its autonomous status.
- This statement addressed the controversy surrounding President Trump’s decision in late May to remove Kim Sajet from her role as Director of the National Portrait Gallery, a topic discussed during the highly anticipated Regents meeting.
- While Sajet has continued working despite Trump's social media announcement, the Smithsonian emphasized that all personnel decisions fall to Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch with Board oversight.
- The White House's proposed budget for 2026 includes a 12% reduction in funding for the Smithsonian, which would cut support for the developing Latino heritage museum near the National Mall and the Anacostia Community Museum, established in 1967.
- The Smithsonian’s statement and Regents’ directives affirm its nonpartisan mission and suggest ongoing efforts to maintain unbiased museum content amid political pressures.
54 Articles
54 Articles
The Smithsonian Institution audit is only the start - Washington Examiner
The Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents may have to get used to meetings where accountability is expected. At this week’s much-anticipated one, members yielded to President Donald Trump’s demand for an audit of politicized content. Alas, they also circled the wagons around Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch. The Wall Street Journal reports that, according to a document that summarized the secretive meeting held Monday, the boa…
Smithsonian Board Pushes Back Against Trump Administration
Source: The Washington Post / Getty The Trump administration’s second term can only be described as bootleg authoritarianism. They’re certainly trying to be authoritarian as all get out, but as the shock and awe of the early months has faded, it’s clear that ol’ boy is going to be facing pushback from various levels of American society. Take, for instance, the Smithsonian, where President Trump has tried to impose his will not only through execu…
Smithsonian Defies Trump’s ‘Firing’ Of Director
You may recall that Trump announced he had fired Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet late last month. But as I wrote in my post about that, it seemed pretty clear Trump did not have the authority to do so. The head of the Smithsonian came to the same conclusion and the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents publicly agreed. One member of that board is John Roberts, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The regents’ response is a …
'Free from Political or Partisan Influence': Smithsonian Institution Defies Trump's Order Firing Director, Says Secretary Is the Only One Who Makes ‘Personnel Decisions'
The venerable Smithsonian Institution is taking a stand against the Trump administration, asserting that it has sole authority over its hiring practices, even as it tries not to provoke President Donald Trump. The museum’s governing board released a statement after a meeting Monday, its first comments since Trump said last month that he had fired the director of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet. The cultural institution sai…
Smithsonian Will Conduct Content Review Of Collections after Trump Request
“The board directed the secretary to assess content in museums and make needed changes to ensure unbiased content, including personnel changes,” a Smithsonian spokesman said. – The Wall Street Journal
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