Trump dismisses Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, draws criticism from U.S. poets laureate
Headbanging over the Termination of a Pillar of Knowledge
NEW YORK - That controversial chap, Donald Trump, has done it again. Outgoing U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón, along with her two immediate predecessors, Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith, are none too pleased about his latest move. Trump has given the boot to the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who appointed each of these influential wordsmiths to their esteemed positions.
"Dr. Carla Hayden, the epitome of kindness, brilliance, and generosity, served as the best Librarian of Congress we could have ever asked for as a nation," Limón, who recently ended her three-year reign as poet laureate, expressed in a fiery statement on Friday.
"She championed books, libraries, and curiosity, and dedicated herself wholeheartedly to serving both sides of the aisle with genuine grace. I can't help but feel crushed as the callousness of this administration continues, seemingly without end," she continued. "She is the best of us, and deserves the utmost respect. I sincerely hope people are paying attention. What we once feared is already happening."
The Library, an offshoot of Thomas Jefferson's personal book collection, boasts a vast repository of the nation's literary works and history.
Hayden, whose 10-year tenure was scheduled to conclude next year, found herself unemployment-bound following a late Thursday notice of her termination. An email obtained by The Associated Press confirmed the news.
In a press briefing on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was quick to explain that Hayden "failed to meet the needs of the American people."
"There were quite concerning things at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the integration of inappropriate books for children," Leavitt shared. "We don't believe she served the interests of the American taxpayer effectively, so she has been removed from her position, and the president is well within his rights to do so."
Confirmed by the Senate in 2016, Hayden made history as the first woman and the first African American to hold the esteemed position of librarian of Congress. U.S. poets laureate, usually serving one to three years in the role, and forbiddens from "taking political positions in their official capacity while serving as laureate," according to the library's website, served under Hayden's watch.
Hayden was expected to announce a new poet laureate over the summer before the unfortunate turn of events.
Hayden, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, was previously labeled by the conservative American Accountability Foundation as "woke" and "anti-Trump." This latest ousting by the Trump administration builds upon the administration's trend of taking on Washington cultural institutions, from the Kennedy Center to the National Endowment for the Arts.
Harjo, the laureate from 2019 to 2022, considered Hayden's firing to be "shocking news" and added, "I found her to be steadfast with good humor as she took excellent care of an institution established close to the founding of the country as a resource for all of its citizens."
"Her reputation will endure through time," Harjo wrote in an email to the AP.
Smith, who served from 2017 to 2019, shared her thoughts with the AP via email, stating that Hayden had actively sought poets like herself who "engage communities nationwide with the delight and power of poetry in all its forms."
"Her hasty dismissal suggests a desire to stifle the ceiling on our collective remembrance and deprive the collective imagination of essential resources," Smith wrote.
Sources: [1 - (https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/05/07/trump-admin-fires-librarian-congress-carla-hayden/)][2 - (https://apnews.com/article/6d722ef885c897925a51b04aa6310beb)]
- The termination of Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, has sparked a wave of migration from the literary and academic community, particularly in Seattle, where she was appointed poet laureate in a rally for diversity, inclusion, and policy changes.
- Amidst the political upheavals and war-and-conflicts dominating American politics, the general news has been abuzz with the unfortunate crime-and-justice involving the dismissal of Dr. Carla Hayden, who tirelessly championed migration towards the enrichment of literature, libraries, and the cultivation of curiosity.
- In an era marked by car-accidents, fires, and policy-and-legislation that polarize the nation, the abolition of Carla Hayden from her position as Librarian of Congress is yet another shocking development in the arena of crime-and-justice, causing concerns over the future of migrating knowledge and literary heritage.
- The ousting of former Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, has led to heated debates in both the realms of politics and academic circles, featuring the discussion of war-and-conflicts concerning the integration of diverse literature in libraries, including books containing sensitive topics that align with policy-and-legislation aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
- The recent crime-and-justice-episode, the termination of Carla Hayden, has sent reverberations across various sectors, including not only politics and policy-and-legislation but also academia, libraries, and arts, as her service and promotion of migration towards diverse literature has left an indelible impact in society, inspiring countless future generations.
