The Presidential Records Act is a law, drafted by and passed in Congress, before a former President signed it. NOT an executive order, or executive branch regulation, that Trump would have had authority over, but there are still processes that he would have had to undertaken before previous executive orders or standing policy would have been changed changed. Trump can’t just blink his eyes and it then be official, no matter how many of his supporters wish that were true. Nor do we want people like Joe Biden with that kind of power, either.
And see my link just above of the actual text of the Presidential Records Act. Trump’s claims that protects protects him are fanciful, and setting his followers up for being completely wrong on the merits, as the law makes it abundantly clear that Presidential Records remain under the control of the Government. This is independent of whether they were classified, unclassified, or wanted to be kept by the President, he has no authority to do so. They are not Personal Records, which are clearly defined in the law as well, and extremely limited in scope.
Trump’s claims may be more solid than you think, especially if the report yesterday — that the “sensitive information related to a foreign nation’s nuclear capabilities” described in the indictment are actually personal letters to Trump from Barack Obama and Kim Jong Un — is accurate.
Please find for me the penalty for a president failing to give over non-personal records to the National Archives. Also find for me who is the final arbitrator of what will be regarded as such when there is any dispute. I am unable to find a time limit for settling disputes about records.
This should have remained a civil matter. Only an extremely dishonest DOJ would morph a dispute over the Presidential Records Act into accusations under the Espionage Act.