Trump White House quietly scrubs its website of president's transcripts
Washington DC - The White House has reportedly scrubbed its website of all transcripts of public comments made by President Donald Trump.
The "remarks" page of the website, which used to be home to the transcripts, has been replaced with a curated selection of YouTube videos of the president's comments.
According to CNN, the video list is "noticeably incomplete, as it includes fewer than 50 Trump videos from the first 120 days of his second term."
The only transcript that remains is the speech Trump gave during his inaugural address on January 20.
The move marks yet another unprecedented shift from norms by Trump, as previous presidents have made transcripts public for decades.
An unnamed White House official recently told NBC News that the idea behind the change is that "people will get a fuller and more accurate sense of Trump by watching and listening to him as opposed to reading a transcript, which they may not be inclined to do anyway."
But critics have argued transcripts are mainly used by journalists and researchers, and are key to holding administrations accountable.
When asked for comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued, "The president's remarks are live on the website for every person in the world, including journalists, to access and watch for themselves."
"The Trump White House is the most transparent in history," she added.
Cover photo: JIM WATSON / AFP