Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed said Trump deliberately took the materials and kept them at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, while 18 percent believed he had them in his possession by mistake.

Americans’ views on the handling of these papers differ along party lines, 87 percent of Democrats say Trump intentionally held on to the documents; while 37 percent of Republicans think he saved them by mistake.

“The vast majority of Americans believe that Trump made a conscious decision to take them home,” said Tim Malloy, a poll analyst.

The former president moved at least 700 pages of reports to his Florida residence when he left office, according to a statement from the National Archives.

On the other hand, the controversy was also unleashed after the discovery of several classified documents in the possession of the current president of the United States, Joe Biden, dating from his time as vice president (2009-2017).

According to the poll, a smaller but still sizeable portion of people (48 percent) said Biden purposely took documents found at his home in Wilmington, and at his former office in Washington, D.C., in recent months.

Federal investigators also discovered secretly marked papers at the Indiana home of former Vice President Mike Pence (2017-2021).

But very few respondents think Pence intentionally held onto the materials, with 47 percent saying it was a mistake.

The National Archives and Records Administration this month asked former presidents and vice presidents of the last six administrations to review their records in search for classified reports that may remain in their possession.

According to the Presidential Records Law, the president and vice president, once removed from office, must hand over the documentation for safe storage.

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