Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump stated, “Everything will be revealed,” reaffirming his commitment to providing transparency on these historic events.
The decision to release these documents comes amid decades of public speculation, conspiracy theories, and demands for answers surrounding the three high-profile assassinations that shaped modern American history.
During his first term in office, Trump had pledged to release all remaining files on Kennedy’s assassination but withheld certain records due to appeals from intelligence agencies, citing concerns over national security.
The new order reverses that stance, with Trump stating, “I have now determined that the continued redaction and withholding of information from records pertaining to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is not consistent with the public interest.”
Additionally, Trump extended the declassification effort to include all files related to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., asserting that their release is also in the public interest.
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963, in a killing officially attributed to Lee Harvey Oswald, who himself was murdered two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.
The King family and others have expressed hopes that the release of documents will shed light on the 1968 killing of Martin Luther King Jr., who was fatally shot by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.
Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination during his presidential campaign in 1968, attributed to Sirhan Sirhan, remains another point of enduring controversy. While the Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act had set a deadline of 2027 for the release of remaining King-related files, Trump’s order accelerates that timeline.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna praised Trump’s action, stating, “Our government, led by corrupt bureaucrats, has hidden this information from the American people for far too long. Americans deserve to know the truth, whether it makes the government look good or not.”
The King family expressed their thoughts on the disclosure, highlighting the deeply personal nature of the files’ release.
“For us, the assassination of our father is a deeply personal family loss that we have endured over the last 56 years. We hope to be provided the opportunity to review the files as a family prior to its public release,” they said in a statement.
Trump’s announcement coincided with other executive actions, including plans to create a cryptocurrency workig group and ongoing discussions with global leaders about issues such as oil prices and peace in Ukraine. While these moves garnered attention, the declassification of assassination files is likely to be among the most consequential of his recent initiatives.
As these documents become public, they may provide long-awaited clarity—or further fuel speculation—about the circumstances surrounding these pivotal events in American history.
Trump’s promise of full transparency ensures that the nation will finally have access to files that have remained sealed for decades.