Donald Trump has vowed to declassify private government documents about the murders of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
The 78-year-old Republican will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States today (January 20).
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Trump is set to make history as the first US president since Grover Cleveland to return to the White House for a non-consecutive second term.
The milestone was celebrated with a massive ‘Make America Great Again’ rally at Washington, DC’s Capital One Arena, drawing a crowd of 20,000, including attendees like Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
During his speech, Trump pledged to prioritize government transparency by releasing previously classified files related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“As the first step toward restoring transparency and accountability to government, we will also reverse the over-classification of government documents,” Trump said. “And in the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
The crowd celebrated the announcement with loud applause and cheers.
Watch the speech below:
Trump spoke about his commitment to releasing all remaining JFK assassination records during his first term as president.
He authorized the release of some documents under the Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which set a deadline of 2017 for the release of the remaining files.
However, the leader faced opposition from figures within national security – including then-CIA Director Mike Pompeo. This resulted in the delay of some materials until October 2021. President Biden later extended the delay as well.
According to CNN, more than 95% of the CIA’s JFK files have been declassified. These documents cover the assassination on November 22, 1963, when Lee Harvey Oswald fatally shot the late president.
Despite previous government investigations concluding that the suspect acted alone, conspiracy theories and unresolved questions persist.
The files on Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination are protected under the Martin Luther King Jr. Records Collection Act.
It is currently scheduled for release in 2027. Trump did not specify whether he would expedite their disclosure.
The late civil rights leader was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. It has been widely reported that the FBI and other federal agencies spied on King as part of their efforts to undermine his activism against Jim Crow laws.
For decades, the mystery surrounding these high-profile assassinations has fueled public demand for answers.
Trump’s announcement signals a potential turning point, but it remains to be seen whether he will follow through on his promise to make these files public.
