President Trump announced that all government documents related to American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart would be declassified, and the reaction was swift. Online critics asked why the same move has not happened with the Jeffrey Epstein files, reviving a debate that has dogged Trump since campaign season.
Trump previously said he would release files held by the government related to convicted sex offender Epstein ahead of the 2024 presidential election. He later stepped back and described the case as “the Democrat Epstein Hoax,” a turn that angered some of his supporters. That earlier promise is now being measured against a new pledge on a very different mystery from the last century.
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In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said he was “ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her.” He added that he had been “asked by many people” to take this step and noted that Earhart disappeared in 1937 over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first person to circumnavigate the Earth.
Prominent voices on X quickly asked why Earhart was getting action while the Epstein files were not. California Governor Gavin Newsom shared a screenshot of Trump’s post and wrote, “AMERICA: Release the Epstein Files! TRUMP: Did you say Amelia Earhart?” Ron Filipkowski, editor of Meidas Touch, posted, “The whole country wanted Jeffrey Epstein files, and Trump gives us Amelia Earhart.” Entrepreneur Ed Krassenstein added, “Trump just called to release the Amelia Earhart files on Truth Social. Why doesn’t he make a post like this calling for the release of all the Epstein files?”
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Earhart’s story still captivates Americans. She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932, earned international fame, and set multiple aviation records.
She also pushed to open doors for women in the cockpit, helping to found The Ninety Nines, an organization for female pilots. Her career ended abruptly five years later during an attempt to circle the globe when she vanished over the Pacific, a mystery that continues to inspire searches, books, and documentaries.
Trump framed his order as a response to long standing public curiosity and presented it as an effort to open the archives. His fuller Truth Social statement read, “I have been asked by many people about the life and times of Amelia Earhart, such an interesting story, and would I consider declassifying and releasing everything about her, in particular, her last, fatal flight! She was an Aviation Pioneer, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and achieved many other Aviation ‘firsts.’ She disappeared in the South Pacific while trying to become the first woman to fly around the World.
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“Amelia made it almost three quarters around the World before she suddenly, and without notice, vanished, never to be seen again. Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions. I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The clash now centers on timing and priorities. Supporters of transparency around Epstein want the same declassification impulse aimed at that case, pointing to Trump’s earlier statements and the public interest in what the government holds. Backers of the Earhart order say an open record helps answer a historic question that has lingered for generations. What Happens Next
The Trump administration is likely to face additional pressure from its own base to declassify all government files related to the Epstein case.