President Donald Trump has officially shown Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden the door, a move confirmed by a source familiar with the decision and reported by The Hill on Thursday.
Hayden, who was praised by the left for being the first woman and first African American to hold the position, was appointed during the Obama administration and confirmed in 2016.
A Library spokesperson confirmed the news, stating, “Tonight, the White House informed Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden that she has been relieved of her position.”
Cue the outrage.
🚨 BREAKING: Trump fires the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, House Democrat says. pic.twitter.com/q9FzrKO3Vo
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 9, 2025
Democrats immediately jumped to defend her. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) couldn’t help himself, declaring, “Over the course of her tenure, Dr. Hayden brought the Library of Congress to the people, with initiatives that reached into rural communities and made the Library accessible to all Americans, in person and online.”
Then he added, with dramatic flair: “While President Trump wants to ban books and tell Americans what to read – or not to read at all, Dr. Hayden has devoted her career to making reading and the pursuit of knowledge available to everyone. Be like Dr. Hayden.”
Heinrich even shared the actual email Hayden got at 6:56 p.m., which read:
“Carla, On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as the Librarian of Congress is terminated effective immediately. Thank you for your service,” signed by Deputy Director of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse.
Hayden’s time was nearly up anyway—her 10-year term was set to end next year. But conservative watchdog group American Accountability Foundation (AAF) wasn’t willing to wait. They’ve been sounding the alarm about Hayden and others like her for months.
“The President and his team have done an admirable and long-needed job cleaning out deep state liberals from the federal government,” said AAF President Tom Jones in late April. “It is time they show Carla Hayden and Shira Perlmutter the door and return an America First agenda to the nation’s intellectual property regulation.”
Hayden may have been a historic figure, but in Washington, history doesn’t mean immunity—especially when you’re pushing the wrong agenda. President Trump made it clear: it’s time to clean house.