In a historic move, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on January 23, 2025, mandating the complete declassification of federal records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy (JFK), Senator Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr., saying the release of such information is “long overdue”.

Trump’s order comes just days after the U.S. Martin Luther King day and builds on the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which required full disclosure of JFK-related documents by 2017 unless withholding was justified for national security. While prior administrations extended deadlines and accepted redactions, Trump has now declared that continued secrecy is “not consistent with the public interest.”

epa06291633 (FILE) – A handout photo made available by John F. Kennedy presidential Library shows US President John F. Kennedy (L) and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (R) following arrival ceremonies for H. E. Habib Bourguiba, President of Tunisia, at Blair House, in Washington, D.C., USA, 03 May 1961 (issued 26 October 2017). The classified files on the assassination of former US Pesident John F Kennedy will be on 26 October, US President Donald Trump announced on twitter on 25 October. The US Congress ruled in 1992 that all JFK documents be released within 25 years, unless the US President decides the release would damage national security. John F. Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas in 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald. EPA/ABBIE ROWE / NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES *** Local Caption *** 51102125

Under the executive order, the Director of National Intelligence and Attorney General are tasked with presenting plans for releasing JFK records within 15 days and records related to RFK and MLK within 45 days. Trump emphasized that the American people and the families of these historic figures “deserve transparency and truth.”

FILE – In this Feb. 5, 1965 file photo, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is interviewed by newsmen as he left jail in Selma, Ala. The integration leader was arrested four days ago in a voter registration protest drive. (AP Photo/HC, File)

This decision marks the first effort to fully declassify records regarding the RFK and MLK assassinations, which were not explicitly covered by the 1992 legislation. In 2017 and 2018, redactions in JFK assassination records were reviewed by Donald Trump himself, with further re-evaluations ordered through 2023. Biden extended reviews in 2021-2023 and now Trump says that continuing to withold the information is no longer in public interest.

Attorney General Robert Kennedy poses in his office in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1964. (AP Photo)

The move aligns with Trump’s broader political narrative of promising to challenge governmental secrecy and prioritize public access to critical historical information.

The order also comes amid a backdrop of global uncertainty and heightened public distrust in institutions. Analysts believe the release could provide clarity on pivotal moments in American history while addressing decades-old conspiracy theories.

While critics warn that the disclosures could strain U.S. intelligence, public anticipation for the records’ contents continues to build.