The Trump administration's recent actions have sent a clear message: they are determined to avoid accountability for their deeds. The publication of a 52-page legal opinion declaring the 1978 Presidential Records Act unconstitutional, authored by a jurist heavily involved in attempts to overturn the 2020 election, is a worrying development. This opinion, in my opinion, is a clear attempt to undermine the public's right to access historical records and hold the president accountable. The Trump administration's indifference to archiving is not a revelation; after the end of his first administration, he just took documents from the White House to Florida. This is a dangerous trend, as it raises questions about the public's right to various forms of accountability. The administration's sycophants boast about the "most transparent administration in history," but what has been transparent from day one of his second term in office is that Trump promises impunity and the erasure of history. The pardon power, adopted from the British monarch, is a tool that can be abused by a president. The founders understood this and believed that a president prone to abusing that power would just get impeached. However, the Supreme Court's granting of virtually total immunity to the president in its 2024 decision makes this a non-starter. A constitutional amendment is unlikely, but it should at least be on the agenda. The Trump administration's actions are a clear signal that they are determined to avoid accountability for their deeds. This is a dangerous trend, and it is important to devise strategies to counter politically motivated amnesia. Democrats can explicitly push for keeping records and try to shame those scrubbing websites and taking down historical explanations. They can also start designing something like a truth commission, which may or may not hold out a promise of reconciliation. The future of accountability in the United States is uncertain, but it is clear that the Trump administration is determined to erase history and avoid accountability. This is a worrying development, and it is important to be vigilant in the face of such attempts.
