US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he is directing federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and extraterrestrial life. The move responds to decades of public curiosity and debate over alien activity.
“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.
While he did not clarify whether classified documents would be made public, Trump said the files should include “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”
Earlier, Trump reacted to comments made by former President Barack Obama, who recently discussed extraterrestrial life on a viral podcast. Obama said that while UFOs “are real,” there is no secret underground facility like Area 51 hiding alien evidence.
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in… Area 51,” Obama told host Brian Tyler Cohen, adding that there is “no underground facility… unless there’s this enormous conspiracy.”
Trump claimed Obama disclosed classified information during his podcast and criticized him for “making a big mistake,” though he did not specify which remarks were classified.
On his own beliefs, Trump said, “I don’t know if they are real or not.”
Interest in UFOs and UAP has grown in recent years as the US government investigates sightings of unusual aircraft amid concerns that adversaries might be testing advanced technology. A March 2024 Pentagon report concluded that there was no proof of alien technology, noting that many suspicious sightings were due to weather balloons, spy planes, satellites, or other ordinary phenomena.
