Government stenographers are still recording and transcribing Trump’s remarks, a White House official said. But in an internal policy change in recent days, the White House took down the transcripts in favor of audio and video of his appearances. The idea behind the move 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, the official said. Purging the transcripts and switching to audio and video of Trump's remarks was intended to create "consistency" across the website, the official said.

The Trump White House this week broke with tradition by removing written transcripts of President Donald Trump's remarks from its website, and replacing them with video footage of his speeches instead. The "remarks" section of the White House website still has one transcript, which is from his second inaugural address, but the rest of the library is filled with videos of the president. One video is from an event with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday. The White House is still transcribing the president's remarks privately, an official told NBC News on Thursday, but the move is intended to give Americans a more accurate view of the president by actually hearing and seeing him.

NBC News reported that an archived version of the “remarks” section includes transcripts, but the site now includes just one — that of Trump’s second inaugural address. The omission has raised questions over transparency and comes as the president spars with the press over who gets access to his events. The White House, which is still privately transcribing the remarks, has defended the change, noting his comments are still available in video format. “The president’s remarks are live on the website for every person in the world, including journalists, to access and watch for themselves,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the outlet. “The Trump White House is the most transparent in history.” The change stands in contrast to the office of Vice President JD Vance, which is still sending out transcripts for now.