White House says it cannot release Trump visitor logs

President Biden’s White House does not have the ability to access and release the visitor logs belonging to the Trump White House, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Wednesday.

“We cannot. That is under the purview of the National Archives, so I’d certainly point you to there,” Psaki told reporters. 

On Tuesday, Psaki was asked about the potential for Biden’s team to release the visitor logs from the Trump administration. She said that she would look into whether it was technically possible.

The National Archives and Records Administration said in a statement to The Hill that it will accept Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for Trump administration records beginning on Jan. 20, 2026 – five years after Trump has left office – in keeping with the Presidential Records Act, a law that mandates the preservation of all presidential records.

The statement also noted that the law “requires consultation with the current administration and former president on questions of privilege.”

The White House has pledged to return to the practice of releasing visitor logs, giving the public a window into the individuals who meet with the president and his staff for official business. The practice was carried out under former President Obama.

The Trump administration said in 2017 it would not release the logs, a move that raised questions about transparency and prompted lawsuits. Instead, visitors were often disclosed publicly by the media as reporters and photojournalists caught glimpses of individuals entering and exiting the West Wing.

Some of former President Trump’s meetings at the end of his presidency captured particular attention, including a visit from MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and a reportedly heated exchange between the president and lawyer Sidney Powell as well as other aides in December in the Oval Office. 

Psaki told reporters Wednesday that the Biden White House would release the logs on a quarterly basis, in keeping with the practice under the Obama administration.

Updated at 5:54 p.m.