President Donald Trump holds the chief order he signed to declassify the information of slain former President John F. Kennedy, former Legal professional Basic Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights chief Martin Luther King Jr., within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, D.C., on January 23, 2025. | Supply: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / Getty
The short-fingered vulgarian is at it once more, bumbling by the primary weeks of his presidential rerun like a bloated, spray-tanned ghoul with an unquenchable thirst for consideration.
This time, he’s participating in his favourite pastime—political grave robbing.
If there’s a long-dead historic determine with a righteous legacy price looting, Trump’s there with a gold-plated Dwelling Depot shovel in hand, digging by the dust like a necrophiliac in a sweat-stained MAGA hat reeking of desperation and quick meals grease. His newest séance-gone-wrong drags in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Apparently, haunting us along with his personal chaos and “covfefe” isn’t sufficient. Why cease at corrupting the current when you may desecrate historical past too?
Final week, in what he probably considers a historic second of transparency (or at the very least an honest distraction), Trump introduced that he’ll declassify any remaining information associated to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Trump is exploiting MLK’s legacy whereas undermining it.
Flanked by aides who appear to have already mastered the artwork of wanting eager about his nonsense, Trump signed an govt order for the discharge of those data on the White Home on Jan. 23. After an aide dutifully learn out the formal decree, Trump, by no means one to overlook a chance for self-congratulation, smirked and declared, “That’s an enormous one, huh? Lots of people are ready for this for an extended—for years, for many years.”
Ah sure y’all, the eloquence of this statesman is unparalleled! Few issues convey deep historic understanding fairly like mangling a fundamental statement about time. Lengthy—for years, for many years—actually a masterclass in precision. Subsequent, he’ll be explaining that water is moist, that centuries are only a bunch of many years stacked collectively, or that Lincoln’s been lifeless for, like, a extremely, actually very long time—many individuals are saying.
Take a deep existential sigh with me, Y’all.
The necessary factor is that he made it sound like he was personally revealing a long-buried nationwide treasure, reasonably than simply belatedly unsealing paperwork that ought to have been made public ages in the past.
After all, this “large one” comes with a slight hitch.
Trump’s order duties the yet-to-be-confirmed director of nationwide intelligence and legal professional common with devising a plan to launch the JFK information inside 15 days, adopted by one other 45 days to determine learn how to deal with the RFK and MLK paperwork. Which implies, very like the whole lot else he touches, this grand reveal is already tangled in purple tape and procedural purgatory.
You could be asking, why has he signed this govt order?
He’s turning legit skepticism about authorities secrecy into gasoline for his personal vendetta.
May or not it’s a deep dedication to historic transparency? How ‘bout a burning ardour for reality and justice? Possibly a sudden and uncharacteristic respect for historical past? Maybe a newfound reverence for preserving the previous with the dignity and seriousness it deserves? Has he, in some late-night epiphany between Eating regimen Cokes and rage-posting, determined to take up the noble reason for full disclosure?
Or—hear me out now—has the person who thought Frederick Douglas was nonetheless out in these streets “doing nice issues” regardless of being lifeless for over a century been quietly dropping sleep over the assassination of a legendary civil rights chief? Has the birther-in-chief who falsely claimed that his Jan. 6 rebellion crowd was larger than the 1963 March on Washington been overcome with grief for Dr. King in a approach that completely isn’t at odds along with his lengthy and storied historical past of racism?
Or, is that this simply one other try to personal the “libs” by pretending he’s the only real keeper of long-buried secrets and techniques? Did anyone on Reality Social point out the Deep State and now he thinks he can toss conspiracy theorists some contemporary meat to gnaw on whereas he pretends to reveal the true killers? Or is it simply the same old Trumpian impulse the place he randomly indicators issues so he can watch folks clap for him?
The Martin Luther King Memorial has few guests on Martin Luther King Day, which additionally was the day of the inauguration of President Trump, on January 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. | Supply: Andrew Lichtenstein / Getty
Every of those questions are rhetorical, in fact, as a result of we already know the reply. His motivations are as suspect as a Trump College diploma. His choice to declassify the MLK assassination data, alongside these of JFK and RFK, isn’t about reality, justice, or any newfound respect for historical past. It’s about spectacle. It’s about Trump doing what Trump does finest: grabbing headlines, fueling conspiracy fires and basking within the consideration like a sunbaked Cheeto on a Mar-a-Lago lounge chair.
Trump has zero curiosity in civil rights justice. Anticipating him to care about civil rights is like anticipating him to learn a ebook with out photos. So, what’s this actually about in addition to inflating his ego, giving conspiracy weirdos one thing new to drool over and cosplaying as a reality warrior?
Don’t get it twisted, his newest transfer is a part of his broader anti-government secrecy and transparency narrative alongside along with his tendency to take advantage of historic conspiracies for political acquire.
He has framed this as an effort to reverse the over-classification of presidency paperwork and restore public belief. Since JFK’s assassination has lengthy been tangled in authorities secrecy, deep state paranoia a few huge authorities cover-up and distrust of intelligence businesses, Trump sees a chance to weaponize these narratives to discredit authorities establishments, specifically the DOJ, FBI, CIA, which have investigated him. He’s turning legit skepticism about authorities secrecy into gasoline for his personal vendetta. On the finish of the day, stoking anti-government paranoia isn’t only a tactic, it’s a cornerstone of his authoritarian ambitions. And let’s not neglect, he didn’t simply trace at his intentions, he outright mentioned he plans to rule America like a dictator on day one.
By tossing within the MLK assassination information into the combination, he will get to place himself as an anti-establishment truth-teller, whereas concurrently pushing insurance policies straight out of the Venture 2025 playbook that undermine racial justice whereas gutting DEI initiatives, attacking Black Lives Matter and stoking white nationalist grievances.
In his first week again in workplace, Trump has aggressively dismantled DEI initiatives inside the federal authorities. He issued govt orders terminating all DEI-related mandates established underneath earlier administrations, putting federal DEI workers on paid depart with plans for eventual layoffs and rescinding insurance policies that promoted affirmative motion. These actions have led to the removing of DEI assets from federal web sites and a directive for federal staff to report any colleagues making an attempt to proceed DEI efforts, with threats of hostile penalties for non-compliance. Trump has additionally mandated the removing of Black Lives Matter flag from federal areas, additional signaling a rollback of civil rights protections.
Utilizing MLK’s legacy as a pawn in a political sport is likely one of the most cynical, sinister and insulting strikes possible.
So, let’s get this straight—Trump is out right here gutting DEI, placing range workers on ice, scrubbing federal areas of something remotely pro-Black. He’s selling the erasure of Black historical past by insurance policies that ban the instructing of systemic racism in colleges and is mainly turning civil rights protections right into a piñata at a CPAC rally. However positive, let’s faux he’s instantly overcome with righteous curiosity about what actually occurred to MLK and a burning want to reveal reality. Possibly subsequent, he’ll champion voting rights, begin quoting James Baldwin and host a Juneteenth cookout at Mar-a-Lago.
What we’re witnessing is a calculated, sinister PR transfer, which permits him to seem as a populist revealer of secrets and techniques for the advantage of “the folks” whereas persevering with insurance policies that may devastate Black communities. It’s an act of historic weaponization designed to not advance racial justice or historic reality or deliver the Kennedy and King households reality and a few closure, however to serve his broader authoritarian agenda, manipulate public notion and distract from his personal dismantling of civil rights protections.
It is a traditional misdirection tactic: use high-profile, seemingly “anti-establishment” strikes to deflect from his administration’s precise insurance policies. Releasing these assassination data permits him to posture as a authorities “truth-teller,” whereas concurrently eroding each structural acquire that Black People have fought for. By dangling the declassification of MLK’s assassination information, he’s manufacturing the phantasm of presidency transparency, whereas consolidating a deeply anti-Black coverage agenda.
A common view of the Lorraine Motel and Room 306, the location in Memphis, Tennessee, the place civil rights chief Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony exterior the room. | Supply: SETH HERALD / Getty
Trump is exploiting MLK’s legacy whereas undermining it. MLK was one of the crucial closely surveilled and focused figures in American historical past, topic to COINTELPRO sabotage, FBI harassment, and systemic makes an attempt to delegitimize his motion. Any severe examination of the MLK assassination would require acknowledging how the U.S. authorities actively labored towards him. However that’s exactly what Trump and his allies are attempting to erase from public reminiscence.
Moreover, he has promoted the narrative that racism now not exists in America, framing Black activism as divisive reasonably than mandatory. He has labored to criminalize protest and strip authorized protections from actions like Black Lives Matter, echoing the very techniques used towards MLK. By selectively amplifying authorities secrecy round MLK’s assassination, Trump is co-opting MLK’s legacy whereas concurrently crushing the very racial justice efforts MLK fought for.
Some of the harmful elements of this declassification is how the data will likely be interpreted and weaponized. Trump’s allies will undoubtedly push narratives that deflect blame away from the federal government’s lengthy historical past of undermining MLK and the civil rights motion. Anticipate to see makes an attempt accountable overseas actors or rogue people, reasonably than confronting the fact that the U.S. authorities performed a direct position in surveilling, harassing and concentrating on MLK. Trump has no real interest in uncovering the true historical past of MLK’s assassination. He’s merely utilizing the data to rewrite historical past in a approach that advantages white grievance politics.
It is a traditional misdirection tactic.
The households of Dr. King and JFK have expressed deep concern over President Trump’s current govt order to declassify assassination data. For them, these occasions should not simply historic incidents however deeply painful private tragedies. The King household emphasised the enduring ache of their father’s loss and requested the chance to evaluate the information earlier than their public launch. JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, rightly criticized the transfer as a political maneuver, saying that it exploits his grandfather’s legacy. Whereas these households undoubtedly search solutions, the sudden politicization of their family members’ deaths solely exacerbates their grief. It’s disheartening to see such delicate issues getting used as instruments for political acquire.
Utilizing MLK’s legacy as a pawn in a political sport designed to uphold the very methods of oppression that focused him is likely one of the most cynical, sinister and insulting strikes possible. For Trump, MLK’s picture is nothing greater than a rhetorical protect that he will get to invoke throughout speeches so he can feign inclusivity whereas he emboldens white nationalism. Like a political grave robber, he desecrates MLK’s reminiscence for performative functions, stripping his legacy of its true revolutionary and anti-racist intent.
Be clear—Trump is doing the whole lot he can to maintain the whole lot MLK stood for deader than a doorknob. It’s like he’s making an attempt to taxidermy MLK’s legacy into one thing grotesquely unrecognizable. This necrophilic historic grave-robbing is corrupt, shameless, self-serving and as ghoulish as the person digging up the bones and making an attempt to French kiss the corpse again to life.
Dr. Stacey Patton is an award-winning journalist and the creator of Spare the Children: Why Whupping Kids Gained’t Save Black America.
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