Trump dismisses Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, drawing critique from multiple U.S. poets laureate
TRASH TALKING THE WHITE HOUSE
Yo, guess what happened? Outgoing U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón and her two homies, Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith, are giving it to President Donald Trump for axing the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden.
Hayden's tenure was about to wrap up next year, but Trump fired her ass on a Thursday, according to an email obtained by the AP. Nasty, right?
"Dr. Carla Hayden is the best of us," says Limón. "She's a book-loving, library-loving, curiosity-fueling boss who treated both sides of the aisle with genuine grace."
The Library, started by Thomas Jefferson's book collection, is filled with books, documents, and history that tell the story of the U.S.
Now, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is saying that Hayden "didn't meet the needs of the American people." But when asked why, she dropped this bombshell: "There were quite concerning things at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI, and putting inappropriate books in the library for children." Yikes!
Carla Hayden was the first woman and first African American to be the Librarian of Congress. The U.S. poet laureates, like Limón, Harjo, and Smith, work for the Library of Congress. Usually, they serve for one to three years and don't take political positions in their official capacity.
Hayden was supposed to announce the new poet laureate this summer, but now we're left wondering who'll foot the bill for all the "inappropriate" books in the children's library.
Harjo, who was poet laureate from 2019 to 2022, called Hayden's firing "shocking news" and added that she "took excellent care of an institution established close to the founding of the country as a resource for all of its citizens."
Smith, who held the title from 2017 to 2019, told the AP that Hayden "sought poets such as herself who engage communities nationwide with the joys and the power of poetry in all its forms."
"Her abrupt firing suggests a desire to tamp down the ceiling on our collective remembering and deprive the collective imagination of vital resources," Smith wrote.
So, there you have it. The Trump administration's ongoing crusade against culture is stretching its tendrils into the Library of Congress. And they're not pulling punches with Hayden, who had been labeled "woke" and "anti-Trump" by the conservative American Accountability Foundation.
Expect more drama as literary figures and organizations react to this unexpected turn of events. Stay tuned, folks. We'll keep you posted.
- Carla Hayden, the first African American and woman to serve as the Librarian of Congress, was fired by President Donald Trump, according to an email obtained by the AP.
- The U.S. poet laureates, such as Ada Limón, Joy Harjo, and Tracy K. Smith, who work for the Library of Congress, have criticized Trump's decision, with Limón calling Hayden "the best of us."
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has stated that Hayden "didn't meet the needs of the American people," but later revealed concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and inappropriate books for children in the Library of Congress.
- As a result, speculation has arisen about the removal of "inappropriate" books in the children's library, and there are questions about who will cover the costs.
- Harjo, the former poet laureate from 2019 to 2022, deemed Hayden's firing "shocking news," praising her for the care she took of an institution close to the founding of the country. Smith, who held the position from 2017 to 2019, expressed concern that Hayden's abrupt dismissal would "deprive the collective imagination of vital resources."
