The New York TimesThe New York Times

At the heart of the documents case: Trump's attachment to his boxes

By Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer and Michael S. Schmidt

15 Jun 2023 · 5 min read

informed Summary

  1. Former President Donald Trump's aides referred to the boxes of papers and documents he kept as the "beautiful mind" material, reflecting a sense of organized chaos.

During former President Donald Trump’s years in the White House, his aides began to refer to the boxes full of papers and odds and ends he carted around with him almost everywhere as the “beautiful mind” material.

It was a reference to the title of a book and movie depicting the life of John F. Nash Jr., the mathematician with schizophrenia played in the film by Russell Crowe, who covered his office with newspaper clippings, believing they held a Russian code he needed to crack.

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