Exclusive: Trump's DOJ says he's not required to turn over official records [View all]

Source: Axios

President Trump's Justice Department has concluded that a federal law requiring presidential records to be turned over to the government is unconstitutional, a senior White House official tells Axios.

Why it matters: The finding is an indication Trump will be reluctant to give all of his official records to the National Archives at the end of his term, as presidents have done for nearly a half-century under the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

The law, passed in the post-Watergate era as a hedge against government corruption, states that every official record regarding a president's decisions or policies belongs to the U.S. government, not the president.

Trump has shown that he disagrees with the law.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2026/04/01/trump-doj-presidential-records-act-national-archives