This isn’t Trump’s past. This is him on the record saying what he believes the government should be able to do. And he’s asking to be put in charge of the government. To date, he hasn’t flip-flopped, er, evolved on this issue, so this is what he presently believes.
Sorry, but not “on the record” with this particular author. Good journalism requires an author to ask the subject of his piece for a response to their accusations, or to state that their office was contacted for comment and declined, etc. There isn't any such references here. Therefore, just hearsay. Absent that, I don't take it as him (Trump) on the record. Just an opinion piece.