US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had ordered federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs and extraterrestrial life—a step long demanded by transparency advocates and conspiracy theorists alike.
“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War and other relevant departments and agencies to begin the process of identifying and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He did not clarify whether classified documents would be declassified for public release but said the material should include “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”
Earlier in the day, the Republican president alleged that his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, had disclosed classified information during recent podcast remarks that went viral.
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in… Area 51,” Obama told host Brian Tyler Cohen, referencing the secretive US military installation in Nevada long associated with UFO conspiracy theories.
“There’s no underground facility. Unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States,” Obama added.
Asked about the comments on Thursday, Trump told reporters that Obama had “given classified information” and “made a big mistake”, though he did not specify which elements were allegedly sensitive.
As for his own views, the 79-year-old president said, "I don’t know if they are real or not.”
No verified evidence has been produced to confirm the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth.
Interest in unidentified aerial phenomena has intensified in recent years as the US government investigated numerous reports of unexplained aircraft, amid concerns that foreign adversaries might be testing advanced technologies.
In March 2024, the Pentagon released a report concluding that it had found no proof that UAP represented alien technology. Many sightings, it said, were attributable to weather balloons, surveillance aircraft, satellites or other conventional explanations.
