Why Trump’s Torn Papers And Speech Drafts Matter

A business associate described Trump having a very specific paper ripping ritual.

President Donald Trump holds piece of paper as he speaks with reporters at the White House, in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2019. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Uprising is a newsletter dedicated to exclusive reporting and analysis on the January 6 attack and its aftermath. If you want to stay on top of this story, please sign up!

President Trump was up to his old habits in documents turned over to the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. A Washington Post report published Monday evening revealed the tranche of presidential paperwork included some that “had been torn up by former President Trump,” according to a statement from the National Archives. Ripping his papers is something Trump has done since his days in the New York City real estate business. One business associate who saw Trump tear items that crossed his desk told The Uprising the fact some pages are ripped could tell us something about the documents now in the hands of investigators. 

The business associate described Trump having a specific paper ripping ritual. However, they said only “some documents” got the treatment and “it really wasn’t a regular thing.” 

“He tears it once and then a second time, so it’s basically into quarters,” the associate said of Trump. “He has no email address. He had no printer. So people would bring things to him and, if it was something that he just didn’t want, he would rip it in half, and then in half again, and put it in the garbage.” 

According to the associate, Trump would only do this if “he just wanted that document to go away.”