President Trump has directed federal agencies to release government files on alien life, UAPs, and UFOs, following viral comments by former President Obama on the subject.
By Naveen Athrappully. Jacob Burg contributed to this report.President Donald Trump has ordered government agencies to release information about extraterrestrial life and related phenomena in a late night Feb. 19 Truth Social post.
“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. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” said Trump in the post.
The post followed former President Barack Obama’s comments on alien life in a podcast interview earlier this week. In the interview with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked whether aliens were real, to which he replied, “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.”
After the interview went viral, Obama said in an Instagram post that he was “trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round,” adding that “the odds are good there’s life out there,” but the chances “we’ve been visited by aliens is low.” Obama said he saw no evidence during his presidency that aliens made contact.
On Feb. 19, during a press gaggle on Air Force One, Trump was asked about Obama’s answer and responded that Obama was disclosing “classified information.” “He’s not supposed to be doing that.”
Trump added that he does not have an opinion on the existence of aliens, but noted “a lot of people do.” When Fox News reporter Peter Doocy suggested Trump could declassify anything he wanted, Trump replied, “I may get [Obama] out of trouble by declassifying.”
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task ForceDuring Trump’s first term, the U.S. government established the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF). According to an Aug. 4, 2020, statement from the Department of Defense, the task force was established to improve understanding of the nature and origins of UAPs, with a mission to detect, analyze, and catalog UAPs that could threaten national security.
In 2021, a report submitted to Congress assessed the threat posed by UAPs but could not conclusively determine whether they were of extraterrestrial origin due to a lack of “high-quality” information. Although some UAPs exhibited “unusual flight characteristics,” the report noted these could be due to “sensor errors, spoofing, or observer misperception.”
The issue resurfaced in 2023 during the Biden administration when members of the House claimed the government was withholding UAP information from Congress and the public. “The lack of transparency regarding UAPs has fueled speculation and debate for decades, eroding public trust in the very institutions that are meant to serve and protect them,” said Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.), chair of the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, during a July 26, 2023, hearing.
Then-White House national security spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged the phenomena at the time, saying: “That these phenomena have, in some cases, had an impact on our training ranges, on our pilots’ ability to fly, train, operate, and stay ready. That alone makes it a national security issue worth looking at.”
According to a Nov. 24, 2024, DOD press release, the department’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) received 757 UAP reports from May 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024. AARO Director Jon Kosloski stated that “only a very small percentage of reports to AARO are potentially anomalous,” and emphasized that “to date, AARO has discovered no verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity or technology.”
The Pentagon has no explanations for some of the unsolved UAP cases, Kosloski testified to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 19, 2024.
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