Trump Presidential Library Responds to FOIA Request for Twitter Messages

The Trump Presidential Library, part of the National Archives and Records Administration, responded to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Washington Post regarding direct messages sent by Donald Trump during his presidency. The library stated that it was unable to locate any records related to these messages. However, court records indicate that Twitter produced at least 32 direct messages from Trump's account between October 2020 and January 2021, as part of an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into the January 6 Capitol riot. A lawyer for Twitter confirmed the existence of confidential communications in Trump's account. Additionally, Trump appeared to mistakenly post a message intended for then-Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly on Truth Social in September 2025. If Trump did not preserve direct messages, he may have violated the Presidential Records Act, which mandates that presidents preserve all records related to their official duties. The National Archives had previously announced plans to capture presidential social media activity but noted that the Trump administration chose not to enable the capture of direct messages.