Potential absence of historical records: Trump's presidency might result in minimal archived materials compared to past American leaders.
Scrubbing and suppressing chunks of history, legal records, and data deemed disagreeable by the Trump administration, the most transparent in history according to them, is causing a stir. This erasure is happening on countless government websites, White House inner workings, and even at the venerable Smithsonian Institution.
Behind this sanitization is a weird medley of questionable practices hidden beneath a facade of transparency. Here's what's going on:
- Eliminating Accountability with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and other key administration initiatives is happening behind closed doors. Officials are using apps like Signal that auto-delete sensitive information, leaving no trace for archiving.
- A shake-up in the National Archives leadership and orders to rewrite history are troubling historical experts. This follows Pres. Donald Trump's natural aversion to note-taking, ripping up records, refusing to release White House visitor logs, and making his staff sign nondisclosure agreements. Things came to a head when he was indicted for hauling away boxes of sensitive documents to Florida.
- The Trump administration claims to be the "most transparent in history" due to the President's habit of taking questions from reporters almost daily. However, this flood of information does not come close to maintaining comprehensive records documenting the inner workings of an administration.
Historians and archivists are concerned that the Trump era might leave fewer artifacts for the nation's historical record than any other in history. What gets approved for public release may be sanitized and edited to entrench a carefully crafted image of Trump that may not align with reality.
How can Americans understand the truth of Trump's term when those entrusted with preserving history refuse to do so? Some have suggested turning to digital methods to piece together an honest account of events.
The administration continues to argue for its transparency, citing Trump's daily interactions with reporters. But watchdog groups remain concerned about real-time activities with little oversight or accountability, especially concerning Musk's DOGE and other top officials seeking to obscure sweeping efforts to remake government, the economy, and large swaths of civil and cultural fabric.
Staying a step ahead of transparency and accountability is nothing new for Trump. He has made concealing basic facts a cornerstone of his political persona. For instance, he long refused to release his tax returns, and White House stenographers' transcriptions of his words are languishing with no authorization for public release. This lack of official record-keeping makes accountability damn near impossible.
The law requires Trump to maintain records, but the administration has found ways around it. The Presidential Records Act mandates the preservation of White House and vice presidential documents and communications, deeming them the property of the U.S. government. The National Archives and Records Administration administers these records once a president's term is over.
But the Presidential Records Act also protects some presidential records from Freedom of Information requests for five years after a president leaves office. Further, executive privilege can be used to limit certain types of communication from release. Once an administration is over, however, there are rules about what even the president must retain for the public. The Presidential Records Act prohibits presidents from taking records home.
The enrichment data suggests that the Trump administration's use of Signal and other similar encrypted messaging apps raises concerns about compliance with the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act. These laws require the preservation of official communications, but the auto-deleting features of these apps make it difficult to maintain compliance. Additionally, the lack of proper archiving mechanisms increases the risk of security breaches and data loss.
- The Trump administration's use of apps like Signal, which auto-delete sensitive information, is a concern for historical records and compliance with the Presidential Records Act.
- The Trump administration's practices of rewriting history, eliminating accountability, and refusing to maintain comprehensive records are causing concerns among historians and archivists.
- The Trump administration's claim of being the "most transparent in history" is being met with skepticism due to their questionable practices, such as the use of encrypted messaging apps and a lack of official record-keeping.
- The Trump administration's sanitization of legal records, data, and government information could potentially lead to a sparse historical record of the Trump era.
- The erasure of information and records by the Trump administration could make it difficult for Americans to understand the truth of Trump's term, as those entrusted with preserving history refuse to do so.
- The Trump administration's deliberate elimination of certain chunks of history and data, along with their use of encrypted messaging apps, raises questions about the administration's transparency and accountability, particularly in terms of government policy and business dealings.
