Internet Archive Launches Donald Trump Video Collection

The Internet Archive announced Thursday that it has launched the Trump Archive, a database that houses past video clips and other footage of President-elect Donald Trump.

According to the Internet Archive, the collection includes more than 520 hours of Trump-related video clips starting from December 2009. The archive includes television interviews, debates and other public appearances from Trump. Through the site, you can filter video clips by sources or television show and share or compile individual clips.

In the post, managing editor Nancy Watzman explains that the temporary nature of most media archives played a role in why it launched the project. A central goal of the Internet Archive, which was founded in 1996, has been to house and preserve websites on the Internet over time for historical reference.

Just because something is broadcast or posted on the internet doesn’t mean it’s forever. Reporters and the public may take it for granted that a news story or a piece of broadcast video is only a google search away, but as newspapers, companies, and organizations fail and change, often vital information is lost. The web is far more fragile than is generally understood.

The organization also says that the Trump Archive will be a potential pilot program for future dedicated archives that could focus on other public officials.

We consider the Trump Archive to be an experimental model for creating similar archives for other public officials. For example, we’ll explore the idea of creating curated collections for Trump’s nominees to head federal agencies; members of Congress of both parties (for example, perhaps the Senate and House majority and minority leadership); Supreme Court nominees, and so on.