Headline Roundup • May 10th, 2025
Trump Fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Trump administration has fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, causing an uproar among Democrats. Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to hold this role.
The Details: Carla Hayden was notified of her dismissal via an email from the White House's Presidential Personnel Office. The email did not cite a reason for her termination. The American Accountability Foundation, a conservative advocacy group, had criticized Hayden and other library leaders for promoting children's books with "radical" content. Hayden, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2016, was set to finish her term next year.
Key Quotes: "There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of DEI and putting inappropriate books in the library for children," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a press briefing on Friday.
For Context: The Library of Congress has an extensive collection of books, including rare children’s books. Hayden's dismissal comes amid a series of firings by the Trump administration targeting officials believed to not align with the president's agenda. Many Democrats view these firings as unjust and politically motivated.
How The Media Covered It: Several outlets on the left, including The Guardian (Left bias) and The New York Times (Lean Left bias) emphasized the criticism and outrage from Democratic leaders and characterized the firing as part of a broader "purge of government" by the Trump administration. Other outlets on the left, including the New York Times and CBS News (Lean Left bias) omitted that Hayden’s role was set to expire in 2026. Meanwhile, Fox News (Right bias) highlighted the criticism Hayden received from the conservative advocacy group American Accountability Foundation, providing a potential explanation for her dismissal.
Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more. Support our mission.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Democratic leaders erupted late Thursday after it was reported that President Trump had abruptly fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
Hayden was notified of her firing in an email late Thursday from the White House's Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email seen by The Associated Press.
U.S President Donald Trump fired the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, in part over her commitment to diversity, the White House said on Friday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration believed Hayden wasn't serving the interests of American taxpayers, citing her advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Photo from Nicholas Hunt/Getty
The Trump administration fired the librarian of Congress, Carla D. Hayden, on Thursday, drawing swift outcry from Democrats. Dr. Hayden was the first African American and first woman to serve as the head of the institution.
Dr. Hayden, appointed as the 14th librarian of Congress by President Barack Obama in 2016, had overseen the library through President Trump’s first term.
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