Trump had access to national security information not seen by most American citizens. Here are the different levels of security clearances and who is allowed to have them.

Donald Trump had classified documents that were not meant to be seen by most Americans when the FBI searched his home in Florida.

According to the search warrant, which was obtained by multiple news outlets on Friday, officials seized 11 sets of documents labeled Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret, the three levels of security for US documents.

Trump said that he stripped the documents of their classified status in order to allow people without clearances to see them.

Security clearances and a reason to access restricted documents are required of most officials working with the government. Trump did not need to get a security clearance.

The President, Vice President, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and many elected officials are not required to get permission for security clearances of any classified documents as their positions in office mean the American people decided toentrusting them with national security secrets.

The security clearance process for US citizens working in the fields of national security, defense, and other sensitive areas of government includes an application and a background check, according to the report. The National Background Investigations Bureau needs to determine if the applicants need the information or if they can keep it a secret.

The FBI and the White House Security Office decide who gets clearances.

According to a report of annual security clearance determinations, nearly 3 million government employees and contractors had security clearances.

A Top Secret clearance doesn't mean an official has access to all of the government's top secrets. There are various categories of Sensitive Compartmented Information and Special Access Programs that correspond to different areas of work in the government. The documents and programs need to be accessed by officials in a specific field.

The information has been classified before. The number of nuclear warheads in the US was declassified by the former president.

Presidents can give clearances even against the wishes of those who grant them. According to The New York Times, Trump granted a Top Secret clearance to his son-in-law despite concerns from the intelligence community. The FBI rejected his application because of his family businesses and foreign contacts, according to sources.

Mark Zaid, a national security lawyer, said that Trump could have given Putin a security clearance during his time as president.