JFK's grandson slams Trump after president orders assassination files to be made public
24 January 2025, 06:54
John F. Kennedy’s grandson has hit out at Donald Trump after he pledged to declassify every file relating to the former president’s death.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The newly inaugurated president said he’s ordering the release of all the remaining classified documents that include details on the notorious assassination of John F. Kennedy.
He has also ordered the release of files on the assassination of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and files on JFK’s brother, former New York senator and US Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy Sr.
Trump made the announcement while speaking to reporters during a spontaneous signing ceremony in the Oval Office after a secretary handed him the order to sign.
The promise has seemingly gone down poorly with JFK’s family, with his grandson Jack Schlossberg saying there is “nothing heroic” about Trump’s pledge.
"The truth is alot sadder than the myth - a tragedy that didn't need to happen. Not part of an inevitable grand scheme," he wrote on X.
"Declassification is using JFK as a political prop, when he's not here to punch back."
All three assassinations have been the subject of widespread conspiracy theories. 95% of files on JFK’s assassination have already been revealed.
The order will bring about a “full and complete release of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.”
“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 and the release of these records is long overdue,” the order states.
During his first full day in office, Trump signed off a slew of executive orders - from renaming the Gulf of Mexico to pardoning January 6 rioters.
Other executive orders included the withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organisation, ending birthright citizenship, and the "restoration of freedom of speech".
Trump rescinded a total of 78 Biden-era executive actions, after slamming his administration as the "worst in history".
