Abilene, Kansas — The director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Todd Arrington, has resigned following a dispute with the Trump administration over a request to gift one of the library’s original swords to King Charles during President Donald Trump’s UK visit last month, according to CBS News. Buckingham Palace said at the time the King ultimately received a replica.
Arrington told CBS he was given an ultimatum to “resign — or be fired” after refusing to release an artifact that had been formally donated to the National Archives-run institution. “Apparently, they believed I could no longer be trusted with confidential information,” he said, adding that the “confidential” matter related to the sword dispute and an unrelated issue. He denied making negative remarks about the president or his administration. “That is 100% incorrect,” Arrington said. “I never said a bad word about anybody.”
State Department officials had sought an Eisenhower sword as a symbolic gift underscoring the US–UK alliance forged in World War II, when Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander. Sources told CBS that despite Arrington’s offer to help source an alternative or a replica, officials continued to ask for the original. Presidential libraries, overseen by the National Archives, typically cannot deaccession donated artifacts for diplomatic gifts.
During the September visit to Windsor Castle, the president and First Lady Melania Trump presented King Charles with a replica of one of Eisenhower’s swords and gave the Queen a Tiffany & Co. vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch, according to the palace. CBS reported the failed request left Trump administration officials dissatisfied with Arrington.
The Eisenhower Library’s collection includes multiple swords linked to Eisenhower—among them a saber and a sword of honor now on display—which curators say help interpret the former president’s military leadership and the Allied victory in Europe. Arrington, who became director in August 2024, said he would return “in a heartbeat,” adding: “I love the job, I love the people, I love the history. I never in a million years wanted this to happen.”
The White House, the National Archives, and the library did not immediately comment. The US archivist, not the White House, is responsible for hiring and overseeing presidential library directors.
It remained unclear who initially requested the original sword or whether any review of artifact-loan policies will follow. The episode highlights the tension between diplomatic gifting practices and the legal and ethical constraints governing America’s presidential collections.
