The project began with a simple problem: there is so much happening, so quickly, that yesterday’s extraordinary story is often buried beneath today’s headlines.
Kakistocracy Files is an attempt to preserve that record.
The archive reaches back to Donald Trump’s 2015 presidential campaign and follows events through his first administration, the years between his presidencies, his return to office, and the continuing political movement surrounding him.
What You'll Find Here
The site contains hundreds of individually documented stories organized by date and category, along with a growing database of direct quotations from Trump administration officials, members of Congress, political figures and others associated with the MAGA movement.
Whenever possible, articles are based on contemporary reporting, government records, court documents, transcripts, public statements and other identifiable sources.
The Quotes Archive preserves statements in the speaker's own words along with dates, context and links to sources so visitors can examine the original material themselves.
Why Keep an Archive?
Political news has an unusually short lifespan.
A statement dominates the news for a day. A controversy lasts a week. An investigation disappears beneath the next investigation. Years later, remembering exactly what happened — and when — becomes surprisingly difficult.
Kakistocracy Files is designed to make that history easier to find.
It is not intended to be a neutral encyclopedia. The site has an editorial point of view and is critical of Donald Trump, his administration and the political movement surrounding him. But having a point of view does not eliminate the obligation to get the underlying facts right.
The commentary may have an opinion. The historical record should not have to depend on one.
Images
Some imagery used on Kakistocracy Files is created with artificial intelligence for editorial and illustrative purposes. These images are not presented as documentary photographs of the events described unless specifically identified as such.
Corrections
Accuracy matters.
If an article contains a factual error, incorrectly attributes a quotation, misstates a date or otherwise gets something wrong, it should be corrected.
The goal of Kakistocracy Files is simple:
Document what happened. Preserve what was said. And make it harder for history to disappear down the memory hole.