ASSAULT ON THE SMITHSONIAN

Donald Trump has vowed to kill off 'woke' culture in his second term, and a major institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sights

- By Charlotte Higgins

ON 30 MAY LAST YEAR, Kim Sajet was working in her office in the grandly porticoed National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. The gallery is one of the most important branches of the Smithsonian Institution, the complex of national museums that, for almost 200 years, has told the story of the nation.

The director's suite, large enough to host a small party, has a grandeur befitting the museum's role as the keeper of portraits of the United States' most significant historical figures. Sajet was working beneath the gaze of artworks from the collection, including a striking 1952 painting of Mary Mills, a military-uniformed, African American nurse, and a bronze head of jazz and blues singer Ethel Waters.

It seemed like an ordinary Friday. Until, that is, an anxious colleague came in to tell Sajet that the president of the United States had denounced her on social media. "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," Donald Trump had posted on Truth Social. According to the post, Sajet was "a highly partisan person" and a "strong supporter" of diversity and inclusion programmes, which by an executive order on his inauguration day, 20 January, he had eradicated from federal agencies. "Her replacement will be named shortly," continued the message.

Sajet is a Dutch-born, Australian-raised art historian in her early 60s. She has platinum blond hair, and wears trouser suits in bright colours and statement spectacles. Her manner is warm and open, but she also projects an air of professional control. When we met in autumn 2025, she seemed so determined not to say anything controversial that I struggled to believe that anyone could consider her radical.