Transcript transparency: How the past three administrations stack up

Over the past three presidential administrations – including Donald Trump’s initial term, Joe Biden’s single term, and the current Trump administration – there has not been complete public access to presidential statements, whether in transcripts or videos. The release of such information varies significantly among the administrations, and each has taken different approaches to public documentation, according to an analysis by Roll Call Factba.se spanning 3,046 days of coverage dating back to January 20, 2017.

White House stenographers transcribe all presidential statements for distribution and preservation at the National Archives and Records Administration. While each administration’s press office handles things differently, their shared objective is to provide information to the press and public while presenting the president and his agenda positively. None of the administrations covered have provided full coverage as they are not obligated to release everything.

Looking at the compiled data, transcripts were provided for some events during the specified period from January 20 to May 22 for both Trump and Biden administrations. The first Trump administration provided transcripts for 44.05% of events, while Biden achieved 65.63% coverage. The current Trump administration initially provided transcripts for 13.64% of events, but this changed in May 2025. Video posts on YouTube mirrored this trend, with Trump’s first term posting videos for 69.60% of events, Biden for 79.17%, and the current administration for 53.18%.

Livestreaming data is only definitively available for the current administration, showing that 31.82% of events were livestreamed. Despite comprehensive tracking efforts, there are still gaps in coverage for certain events. Roll Call Factba.se aims to capture all public appearances by the president, transcribe them, and provide corresponding media, but challenges remain, such as missing materials for some events.