Trump orders release of all files on Amelia Earhart's disappearance amid Epstein file criticism

President Donald Trump on Friday announced he will order the declassification and release of all U.S. government records related to the disappearance of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who vanished in 1937 while attempting a round-the-world flight.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said Earhart’s fate has “captivated millions.”

"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," he said.

He wrote, “I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her.”

Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean with navigator Fred Noonan. Despite massive search efforts and decades of speculation, no conclusive trace of their aircraft was ever recovered.

Trump’s move to spotlight a decades-old aviation mystery comes as he faces mounting criticism over his reluctance to fully release files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Earlier this year, the Justice Department disclosed a “first phase” of Epstein-related records, but much of it was already public or heavily redacted.

Just hours before Trump’s post, House Democrats said they had uncovered additional Epstein records referencing Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and tech billionaire Peter Thiel.

Trump has previously ordered the release of large batches of classified documents tied to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the 1968 killing of Martin Luther King Jr. He has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially but insists they had a falling-out years before Epstein’s death in jail in 2019.