During a rare interview aboard Air Force One, the current President of the United States offered candid remarks about John F. Kennedy’s assassination and recent related records that have stirred public interest.
In a historic first for a sports website, OutKick founder Clay Travis joined the White House press pool and interviewed President Donald Trump on Air Force One while traveling to New Jersey and Philadelphia this past weekend. During their conversation, the president talked about several major topics, including the release of long-classified files on the 1963 Kennedy assassination and whom he believed to be the shooter.
When asked if he believed Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy, Trump replied, “I do. And I always felt that, but, of course, was he helped.” He added that while the newly released JFK records were “somewhat unspectacular,” that might actually be “a good thing.”
Travis also questioned Trump about the attempted assassination during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The president expressed uncertainty, pointing to suspicious details about the shooter’s mobile phone apps and referencing another assassination attempt in Florida.
He emphasized that the FBI has been forthcoming, stating, “I think maybe it won’t be able to be determined, but I don’t believe it’s, you know, it’d [sic] something sinister by the FBI.”
Last week, the U.S. National Archives released tens of thousands of pages of JFK assassination records, many for the first time without redactions. These documents were made available online, forming part of over six million pages already housed in the national collection.
These files were published following Donald Trump‘s visit to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he confirmed there were approximately 80,000 pages. Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, cautioned that it will take considerable time to review and understand the material.
As reported previously, the release of previously classified documents related to Kennedy’s assassination sparked strong reactions, including from his only grandson, Jack Schlossberg.
Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, speaks during day two of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 20, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
Schlossberg, who was against this move, took to social media to express his frustration, dismissing any notion that his family had been given advance notice before the files were released.
“No — THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DID NOT GIVE ANYONE IN PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S FAMILY ‘A HEADS UP’ ABOUT THE RELEASE,” he wrote, calling it “a total surprise” but “not a shocker.” He also suggested that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had prior knowledge of the release.
Trump had pledged to declassify JFK assassination records, partly due to his political ties with Kennedy Jr., who has long pushed for greater transparency regarding the killings of his uncle and father.
Donald Trump addressing a question from a reporter after Tulsi Gabbard was sworn in as Director of National Intelligence in Washington, D.C. on February 12, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
In one clip, Schlossberg shared a video of CNN reporting on the document dump, urging the media to stop fueling speculation. He argued that if outlets stopped covering it so extensively, it wouldn’t remain a trending topic.
In another post on X, he criticized President Donald Trump’s interest in the files, “President Trump is obsessed with my grandfather — but not in his life or what he achieved in it.”
Donald Trump during an executive order signing in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. on February 11, 2025 | Source: Getty Images
He then highlighted JFK’s legacy, including his role in drafting the Civil Rights Act, founding USAID, and supporting the arts—accomplishments he suggested Trump could focus on instead of revisiting the assassination files.
These released documents were uploaded to a portal maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration. Donald Trump estimated the new files contain approximately 80,000 pages.
The United States National Archives building is shown in Washington, DC, on October 26, 2017 | Source: Getty Images
The agency confirmed that “all records previously withheld for classification” had been declassified, though not all were available online yet. The release includes 1,123 new documents.
Many of the newly available files provide unredacted versions of documents that were previously censored, adding new details to one of the most scrutinized events in American history.
The front page of the New York American Journal, announcing that President John F. Kennedy has been shot and is reportedly dead | Source: Getty Images
However, Gerald Posner, author of “Case Closed,” which argues that Oswald acted alone, estimates that 3,000 to 4,000 documents remain unreleased in full. Some are entirely redacted, while others contain minor redactions, such as Social Security numbers.
Oswald was the US Marine veteran who assassinated JFK, the 35th president of the US, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy, aged 46, was traveling in a convertible through Dallas, Texas when he was murdered.
Lee Harvey Oswald in a police photo after being arrested for protesting US policy in Cuba, on August 8, 1963 | Source: Getty Images
Sadly, before Oswald could stand trial, he was fatally shot in the basement of the Dallas police headquarters just two days later.
His actions sparked decades of debate over whether he acted alone or had accomplices. Researchers and the public hope the newly released files will help answer lingering questions.
Lee Harvey Oswald wearing an army helmet, circa 1960s | Source: Getty Images
David Barrett, a political science professor at Villanova University specializing in the Kennedy presidency, noted that many of the newly released documents might seem perplexing to the general public, as their connection to Kennedy’s assassination isn’t always clear.
However, for scholars like him, the release is significant, as it provides valuable insights with fewer redactions than previous disclosures.
Texas Governor John Connally adjusts his tie (foreground) as US President John F Kennedy (left) and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (in pink) settled in rear seats, on November 22, 1963 | Source: Getty Images
“Now I know who or what is being referred to. So a memorandum on CIA relations with the Miami newspapers, for example, and details on three CIA officers doing technical collection of intelligence in Cuba — I’ve never really had those details before,” he noted.
Hence, only time will tell whether these newly released files will shed fresh light on one of the most debated assassinations in history or simply add more layers to the mystery.
