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The head of a presidential library resigned this week after a tug-of-war with the Trump administration over gift selection and a sword for King Charles III, sources familiar with the matter told Autos News. 

Todd Arrington, a career historian who previously held posts with the National Park Service and National Archives and Records Administration, said he stepped down on Monday under pressure as director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home.

In an interview with Autos News, Arrington said he was told on Monday, "Resign — or be fired." 

"Apparently, they believed I could no longer be trusted with confidential information," he said. When asked what specific confidential information he'd shared, Arrington said it was "about the sword" and an unrelated matter.

Arrington's departure came after he resisted taking an original Eisenhower sword out of the library's collection during President Trump's unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom. 

Four U.S. officials involved in the lavish royal visit were unaware that the library director had left his job, and said the White House played no role in his exit. 

In a statement last month, Buckingham Palace didn't specify which sword was given to the monarch, but noted that Charles was given a replica, saying the gift "symbolizes profound respect and is a reminder of the historical partnership that was critical to winning World War II." Buckingham Palace declined further comment.

A former Army general, Eisenhower possessed several swords, including a Sword of Honor given to him in 1947 by the city of London for his role as allied supreme commander during World War II, an honor saber gifted to him by the Netherlands in 1947, and his West Point officer saber. 

It is not clear who specifically requested the sword. First lady Melania Trump personally decided which gifts to give Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and their children, a senior administration official said.

Officials at the State Department who compiled an array of gift options for the first couple, sought an Eisenhower sword to reiterate the significance of the U.S.-U.K. relationship since World War II, sources said. But Arrington argued against giving away an artifact that had been accepted as a donation and had become the property of the American people.

Arrington told officials he could help find an alternative gift, but sources say State Department officials persisted. The library's team offered to help find a replica. 

Ultimately, West Point provided a Cadet Saber from the military academy.

Arrington said he never spoke with anyone at the White House, but only with officials in the Foreign Gift Office at the State Department and other colleagues at the National Archives.

Some in the Trump administration were unhappy with Arrington, sources said. 

NARA didn't reply to requests for comment, nor did the Eisenhower library, but both entities began operating Wednesday with limited staffing of the federal government. 

Two sources close to the matter said no one said anything to Arrington about being upset about not being able to have a museum piece — the conversations before the U.K. trip about finding a substitute for the real sword were polite and tension-free. 

One administration official said Arrington was believed to have spoken critically about the president and the administration — something Arrington strongly disputes.

"That is 100% incorrect," he said. "I never said a bad word about anybody. I talked to colleagues about trying to find a sword or artifact, something we could give to them for the president to give to the King, and at no time did I disparage anyone."

"If someone in the administration said that I disparaged the administration, that was never communicated to me," he added. 

The White House plays no formal role in hiring or firing directors of presidential libraries that are part of the National Archives system. The duty of hiring library directors falls instead to the archivist of the United States, who oversees NARA. Secretary of State Marco Rubio , and James Byron, a senior adviser to the archivist, is running day-to-day operations for NARA.

Arrington started in August 2024 as director of the Eisenhower library, in Abilene, Kansas, one of 16 presidential libraries or museums operated by NARA, including those that will be built for Mr. Trump and former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The president's son, Eric Trump, announced this week their family plans to one day construct the Trump library and museum in Miami. 

Arrington said the other reason cited for his ouster is tied to the construction of a new building for the nonprofit Eisenhower Foundation on the grounds of the Eisenhower Library. 

The 52-year-old said he is less than five years away from retirement eligibility and is hoping to find a new job at a different federal agency. 

But, he said, "If there's any way for it to happen, I'd return to this job in a heartbeat. I love the job, I love the people, I love the history. I never in a million years wanted this to happen."