US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is directing federal agencies to start identifying and releasing government documents connected to UFOs, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and extraterrestrial life, responding to long-standing public interest in these topics.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said, “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).”
He added that the release should cover “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters,” though he did not clarify whether the documents would include classified materials or be made fully public.
Trump’s directive follows his earlier comments that day accusing former President Barack Obama of improperly disclosing “classified” details about extraterrestrial life during a recent podcast appearance.
In that interview with host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama had said, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in… Area 51.”
Obama said, “There’s no underground facility. Unless, there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
When asked about Obama’s remarks, Trump told reporters that the former president “gave classified information, he is not supposed to be doing that.” Trump did not specify which part of the statement he considered classified but insisted Obama “made a big mistake.”
On his own views regarding the existence of aliens, the 79-year-old president remained noncommittal, stating, “I don’t know if they are real or not.”
No credible scientific evidence has ever confirmed the presence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.
Public fascination with UFOs and UAP has grown significantly in recent years, driven by Pentagon investigations into hundreds of unexplained sightings reported by military personnel. These probes have raised national security concerns that foreign adversaries might be testing advanced technology capable of mimicking or surpassing known aircraft capabilities.
A Pentagon report released in March 2024 concluded that the department had found no evidence linking UAP to alien technology. Many reported incidents were ultimately attributed to ordinary explanations such as weather balloons, reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, drones, or optical illusions.
Trump’s announcement revives a decades-old demand by some Americans for greater government transparency on UFO-related files, including long-classified documents and records from military and intelligence agencies.
