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TORONTO —
Although U.S. President Donald Trump has not publicly expressed interest in creating a presidential library, it’s common for former presidents to build their own museum documenting their legacies.
For Trump, the library would offer a chance to create a personalized version of how he wants his four years in the White House to be remembered.
Paul Musgrave, an assistant professor in political science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, told CTV News he thinks a museum would be a “perfect” opportunity for Trump.
“For somebody like Donald Trump, this is a perfect platform – a perfect way to fundraise,” Musgrave said.
“This is a guy who has a fan base, and I think that he’s going to be able to leverage that, to transform the ex-presidency, just the way that he’s transformed the presidency itself.”
Some items included in former presidential libraries include documents, photographs, books and other presidential memorabilia.
In President Lyndon B. Johnson’s library, original illustrations of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, personally given to the president by Seuss himself, is on display. In President Dwight Eisenhower’s library, the teleprompter script from his last address to the nation in 1961 is on display.
If a museum were to be built for Trump, it would likely display similar artifacts or have a gift shop, based on previous libraries.
Musgrave expects Trump would lean into his social media presence.
“I think we’re going to see tweets. I think we’re going to see Snapchat. I think we’re going to see Instagram. I think we’re going to see a family of influencers,” said Musgraves.
Should one be built, Trump would be following a tradition since 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Fourteen former American presidents have had libraries or museums created in their name, commemorating their official archives and other exhibitions. Unlike other presidential libraries, U.S. President Barack Obama is the only president with a completely digital library, while his presidential records are kept at an off-site location.
Since the presidential museums are typically built in the birth place of the president, Trump’s could be built in New York State.
Not all presidential records, however, are immediately available for use. Each library follows laws and regulations that govern specifically when and how certain records are made available.
Some presidential libraries have also been widely criticized, such as President Richard Nixon, who built a library with efforts to restore his image while downplaying the Watergate scandal.
Presidents are under no obligation to create libraries, and if they do so they are to be privately funded and kept under strict federal provisions.
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