The National Archives removed several boxes of presidential documents from former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence. It did so in accordance with the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
Congress passed the Presidential Records Act following President Nixon’s Watergate scandal. Before then, presidential records belonged to the president and were his to handle as he pleased. To access transcripts and tapes from the Nixon Administration, Congress passed the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act.
The PRMPA only applied to President Nixon, so soon after he left office, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act to apply to all presidents, starting with President Ronald Reagan.
Under the PRA, all presidential documents are owned by the public, rather than the president following his time in office. The law also says that after leaving office, all of the presidential record goes to the National Archives. The presidential record includes all documentary material from the president, the vice president, and certain executive staff. According to the code, documentary material includes “all books, correspondence, memoranda, documents, papers, pamphlets, works of art, models, pictures, photographs, plats, maps, films, and motion pictures, including, but not limited to, audio and visual records, or other electronic or mechanical recordations, whether in analog, digital, or any other form.”