President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to release additional government files related to the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy (JFK), former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This move fulfills Trump’s promise made at his pre-inauguration rally in Washington on Jan. 19 to release the remaining records on these historic events.
During the signing of the order at the Oval Office, Trump emphasized the significance of this action, stating, “That’s a big one. A lot of people have been waiting for this for years, for decades. And everything will be revealed.”
The FBI had previously accused Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine with ties to the Soviet Union, of assassinating JFK in 1963. Oswald was shot and killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby just two days after the assassination, fueling decades of conspiracy theories and speculation.
JFK’s assassination occurred during a time of growing mistrust in the federal government, leading many Americans to question whether Oswald acted alone or was part of a larger conspiracy. A Gallup poll conducted in October 2023 showed that 65 percent of U.S. adults do not believe the lone gunman theory.
Both Trump and former President Joe Biden have released thousands of documents related to JFK’s assassination, with approximately 99 percent of the files now made public by the National Archives. However, Biden had decided to delay the disclosure of certain records to protect against potential harms to national security and foreign relations.
As more information becomes available, the public continues to seek answers and closure regarding these historic events that have shaped American history.