US president Donald Trump moves to fire Archivist of the United States

President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed Colleen Shogan, the Archivist of the United States, the director of the presidential personnel office said, with the step being in line with a promise the Republican made before he took office on January 20.

The national archivist is responsible for overseeing government records and heads the National Archives, an agency Trump has repeatedly criticized since it alerted the Justice Department to Trump's handling of classified documents in early 2022.

The FBI eventually searched Trump's Florida home and he faced a federal indictment in that case.


Trump faced two federal indictments - one in the classified documents case and another over attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 elections - both of which were dropped after his 2024 election win.

Since taking office last month, Trump, a Republican, has embarked on a massive government makeover, firing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants and top officials at agencies in his first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.

Separately, Trump said on Friday he will immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Kennedy Center's board of trustees, including its chair, adding a new board will soon be announced with him as chairman.

"I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture," Trump said in a social media post on Friday.

He added: "We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!"

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington hosts more than 2,000 events each year and is a memorial to former U.S. President John F Kennedy. It is the official residence of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera.