Donald Trump did something no other president has ever done: he fired the Archivist of the United States — the nonpartisan official responsible for preserving America’s records and history.
John Avlon talks with former Archivist Colleen Shogan about why that decision matters, how history has become a political weapon, and what it says about power, accountability, and democracy at a moment when America is heading toward its 250th anniversary.
oldnjgal on
1984’s Ministry of Truth incoming
FreshRest4945 on
I am guessing it’s because he’s a giant orange shaped asshole.
ButtCutt on
We all know why
throwaway1601900 on
Fascist tings
brickout on
… Is this a serious question?
Main_Cream_2375 on
Conservative are a disease that must be rooted out
Fishfindr on
He wants to appoint someone that will alter and erase history, as he beckons.
PenAndInkAndComics on
She was a woman
Holden_Coalfield on
isn’t she the one who recorded that all the Malalago documents were gone
IJustLookLikeThis13 on
Are we gonna have big ol’ bonfires of books, next? Are we gonna be expected to have copies of, say, “The Art of the Deal” sitting on our coffee tables for when the police state police come a-knockin’?
I’m NOT doing that stupid double-dick sucker dance he does as a salute or whatever…
The new history books are probably gonna say Trump even discovered America; he rode in on the Ivana, the Marla, and the Melania.
The future looks absurd.
ThisOneFuqs on
So he can appoint someone who will say that “slavery was good” and “The Election was stolen on Jan. 6 2021”
Verum_Orbis on
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past”
Fascism.
Tommyblahblah on
Knowledge of history gets in the way of people being duped into making the same mistakes over and over.
“Get it all on record now – get the films – get the witnesses -because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.”
-Eisenhower, 1945
Krisparz on
The historical records for this period in history needs to be given as much credence as the historical records from Russia.
neoikon on
Can’t change history with a pesky historian around.
WaterFantastic2394 on
Why did he fire any of the many he has fired. Hard to create an autocratic fascist government without doing so
guyonlinepgh on
Who controls the past, controls the future/Who controls the present, controls the past
Kwelikinz on
So no one could keep track of all the lies and crimes?
Keyboard_warrior_4U on
Book burnings are next
Consistent_Heat_9201 on
Ask Winston Smith.
THElaytox on
Because she told on him for stealing classified documents that weren’t his
sugarlessdeathbear on
Because they hate having a record of anything, because those can be used against them.
Flat-Emergency4891 on
It’s kind of hard to push revisionist history on people when there is an actual historian on the payroll saying, “No, that’s not what really happened.” I’d imagine Trump doesn’t like being proven wrong on literally everything he could say that has a historical context.
Loo-Hoo-Zuh-Er on
Remember this isn’t just Trump. He’s a short term authoritarian asshole. Heritage Foundation is setting things up for post-Trump America. They’re pulling the strings to change what the past says and what the current world should be in their eyes.
treygrant57 on
He did it to rewrite American history for himself!
Slight-Ad-6553 on
Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past
27 Comments
Donald Trump did something no other president has ever done: he fired the Archivist of the United States — the nonpartisan official responsible for preserving America’s records and history.
John Avlon talks with former Archivist Colleen Shogan about why that decision matters, how history has become a political weapon, and what it says about power, accountability, and democracy at a moment when America is heading toward its 250th anniversary.
1984’s Ministry of Truth incoming
I am guessing it’s because he’s a giant orange shaped asshole.
We all know why
Fascist tings
… Is this a serious question?
Conservative are a disease that must be rooted out
He wants to appoint someone that will alter and erase history, as he beckons.
She was a woman
isn’t she the one who recorded that all the Malalago documents were gone
Are we gonna have big ol’ bonfires of books, next? Are we gonna be expected to have copies of, say, “The Art of the Deal” sitting on our coffee tables for when the police state police come a-knockin’?
I’m NOT doing that stupid double-dick sucker dance he does as a salute or whatever…
The new history books are probably gonna say Trump even discovered America; he rode in on the Ivana, the Marla, and the Melania.
The future looks absurd.
So he can appoint someone who will say that “slavery was good” and “The Election was stolen on Jan. 6 2021”
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past”
Fascism.
Knowledge of history gets in the way of people being duped into making the same mistakes over and over.
“Get it all on record now – get the films – get the witnesses -because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.”
-Eisenhower, 1945
The historical records for this period in history needs to be given as much credence as the historical records from Russia.
Can’t change history with a pesky historian around.
Why did he fire any of the many he has fired. Hard to create an autocratic fascist government without doing so
Who controls the past, controls the future/Who controls the present, controls the past
So no one could keep track of all the lies and crimes?
Book burnings are next
Ask Winston Smith.
Because she told on him for stealing classified documents that weren’t his
Because they hate having a record of anything, because those can be used against them.
It’s kind of hard to push revisionist history on people when there is an actual historian on the payroll saying, “No, that’s not what really happened.” I’d imagine Trump doesn’t like being proven wrong on literally everything he could say that has a historical context.
Remember this isn’t just Trump. He’s a short term authoritarian asshole. Heritage Foundation is setting things up for post-Trump America. They’re pulling the strings to change what the past says and what the current world should be in their eyes.
He did it to rewrite American history for himself!
Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past