Trump Says He Will Order US Government to Release Files on Aliens and UFO
US President Donald Trump says he will order federal agencies, including the Pentagon, to start “identifying and releasing” government files linked to aliens and UFOs.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters."
The announcement came just hours after Trump accused former president Barack Obama of disclosing classified information regarding aliens and UFOs during a recent appearance on a podcast. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said of Obama: "He's not supposed to be doing that. He made a big mistake."
Obama appeared on the No Lie podcast hosted by Brian Tyler Cohen last week, where when asked about aliens during a speed round of questions he said: "They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in Area 51. There's no underground facility unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States."
The comments quickly went viral. Obama later clarified his position on Instagram, saying that he was speaking about the statistical likelihood of life beyond Earth. He added that during his presidency he saw "no evidence" that extraterrestrials had contacted humanity.
When Trump was asked if he personally believes in aliens, he said: "I don't know if they're real or not. I don't have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it."
He did not explain which part of Obama’s remarks he believes are classified information.
Public fascination with UFOs and UAPs has grown in recent years, especially after revelations in 2017 about a secret Pentagon programme that reviewed reports from military personnel who said they had seen unusual objects in the sky.
Congress held its first hearing on UFOs in five decades in 2022, and the Pentagon later set up a dedicated office to track military sightings. A 2024 Pentagon report concluded there was "no evidence" of alien encounters and said many sightings were likely balloons, aircraft, satellites or other routine objects.
Earlier this week, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump suggested on a podcast that the president had prepared a speech on aliens to deliver at the “right time.” But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed that idea, saying: "A speech on aliens would be news to me."
For now, it remains unclear how much information could actually be released, or whether any classified material will be made public.
