Amid Trump standoff, Smithsonian says only secretary can hire and fire (2025)

The statement did not directly mention the high-stakes standoff between the White House and Kim Sajet, who has still been reporting to work.

In the statement, the board said it had directed Bunch to ensure the Smithsonian remains free of political bias — a seeming nod to the tense political climate that has enveloped federally funded arts institutions since Trump’s return to office in January. The regents instructed Bunch to clearly outline expectations for museum directors and staff “to ensure unbiased content” and to report back on “any needed personnel changes” based on progress.

“The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence, and we recognize that our institution can and must do more to further these foundational values,” the statement said.

The announcement represents an interim move by the Board of Regents to uphold its governance procedures, a spokesperson said Monday night.

In an email to staff on Monday evening, Bunch addressed the Smithsonian’s statement and acknowledged concerns about partisanship within the institution. “While the vast majority of our content is rooted in meticulous research and thoughtful analysis of history and facts, we recognize that, on occasion, some of our work has not aligned with our institutional values of scholarship, even-handedness and nonpartisanship. For that, we must all work to do better,” he wrote.

“As directed by the Board of Regents, we will undertake an assessment of the Institution, evaluating the need for any changes to policies, procedures, or personnel, and I will share our findings and recommendations with the Board,” the email continued. “As always, we thank the President and Congress for their steady commitment to the Smithsonian and to preserving it for our visitors and our country.”

Bunch and the Smithsonian’s pledge to review institutional practices comes in the wake of Trump’s May 30 announcement that he had fired Sajet for being “highly partisan and a strong supporter of DEI.” The White House later shared with The Washington Post 17 examples it said supported the president’s claims about Sajet, which included her donations to Democratic presidential candidates and past interviews about expanding the gallery’s representation.

Fourth on that list were Sajet’s reported comments rejecting artist Julian Raven’s Trump painting for submission in the National Portrait Gallery. Sajet told him that “it’s too pro-Trump” and “too political,” Raven recalled in an interview with the Washingtonian in 2019.

The president did not cite any legal authority for removing Sajet.

Ahead of the meeting on Monday morning, several dozen former and current staff members gathered outside the National Museum of American History to show their support for Bunch and welcome the regents. The board is composed of members of the public and government officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. The regents meet at least four times a year and convened at the museum on Monday while their usual venue, the Smithsonian Institution Building, is undergoing renovations.

The secretary, who arrived to cheers and “We love Lonnie” signs, was emotional as he hugged and took photos with supporters.

“We are all here because we love the Smithsonian,” Bunch told the crowd. “As long as I’m in this chair, I’m with you. We will continue to be the institution the public deserves and the public needs. And I cannot tell you enough — you’re going to make me cry — thank you.”

As Bunch headed inside the museum, he hugged Beth Py-Lieberman, who retired in 2023 after serving as an editor of Smithsonian Magazine for 37 years. “I was lucky to work closely with Lonnie in the years that I worked at the Smithsonian. ... I feel that I’m a good friend to him, and I feel that a lot of people feel that way,” she said.

“This is a leader that is the best for us, for the Smithsonian, and he represents a lifetime of service to the nation,” Py-Lieberman continued. “He’s created a museum, he’s personally involved with the staff, he’s raised from donors around the United States a phenomenal amount of money — but also spirit, love and affection. … Each one of these people is representing 10 or 15 more folks back in the offices.”

Some demonstrators said they were concerned about further leadership shake-ups at the Smithsonian as Trump has pushed out agency heads at cultural institutions.

“We’re all worried for a lot of things, including for Secretary Bunch,” said John Jacob, curator of photography at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Yael Gen, a former exhibit designer at the National Museum of Asian Art, said that after Trump’s dismissal of Carla Hayden as librarian of Congress, “I think anybody is up for grabs.”

Among the agenda items listed for Monday’s closed-door executive session of the Board of Regents were the Smithsonian’s operating environment and “confidential” personnel matters.

With their presence on Monday, demonstrators said, they hoped to stress their support for the institution, without placing political assertions or pressure on regents.

“What I want [the regents] to know is that the decisions they’re making are really big decisions and can change the direction of the institution in a really negative way,” Gen said.

Last month, on the same day as Trump’s announcement about Sajet, Bunch informed staff that the White House provided new details of proposed cuts to the institution’s budget. The request to Congress proposed a 12 percent reduction of the Smithsonian Institution’s budget and eliminated funding for its Anacostia Community Museum and its forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino, Bunch said in an email obtained by The Post.

The developments are the latest among ongoing efforts by the White House to overhaul the country’s most prominent arts and cultural institutions.

The White House, in recent months, has slashed staff and federal grants at the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts to fund Trump’s proposed patriotic statuary garden and celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In February, weeks after returning to office, the president fired board members at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and installed his allies. The board then elected Trump as its new chair.

The following month, he signed an executive order calling for the removal of “anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian and aiming to “restore” the institution “to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.”

Responding to the order, Bunch sent a memo to Smithsonian employees that said he would work “as we have done throughout our history” with the Board of Regents.

“We remain steadfast in our mission to bring history, science, education, research, and the arts to all Americans,” he wrote. “We will continue to showcase world-class exhibits, collections, and objects, rooted in expertise and accuracy.”

Across the National Mall and hours after the demonstration on Monday, Raven, the artist cited by the White House, set up visual aids for a 1 p.m. news conference attended only by a reporter for The Post.

He had a large flipbook of historic news stories about the Smithsonian, and a human-size reproduction of the cover of his memoir, “Odious and Cerberus,” which depicted Raven climbing the steps of the Smithsonian’s Reynolds building holding his painting of Trump in one hand, and chains and spikes in the other. Raven, a statuesque man with a long white beard, was dressed in all-white linen, a straw hat and a cross pendant made of nails.

“I think [the regents] will compel Sajet to resign today,” Raven said. “They have to make that decision, and I think they will do it in a way to preserve the funds.”

Sajet’s resignation or dismissal, Raven said, could help him in his years-long quest to get the museum to accept his 16-foot portrait of Trump, titled “Unafraid and Unashamed.”

“I was really encouraged by” the White House citing his story, Raven said, though he is no longer a Trump supporter, having grown disillusioned with the president after the events of Jan. 6, 2021. “Because I know that there’s a lot of people now in the government who know the story.”