US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is ordering federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and extraterrestrial life — a move long sought by transparency advocates and UFO enthusiasts, reports AFP.
“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, UAP, and UFOs,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He did not specify whether classified materials would be made public, but said the review should include “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”
Earlier Thursday, Trump accused former president Barack Obama of revealing “classified” information during a viral podcast interview with host Brian Tyler Cohen.
In the podcast, Obama addressed long-standing conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, the top-secret Nevada military site often linked to UFO lore.
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in... Area 51,” Obama said. He added there was no underground facility “unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
Responding to the comments, Trump told reporters Obama “gave classified information” and “made a big mistake,” though he did not specify which parts of the remarks were sensitive.
On his own beliefs about extraterrestrials, Trump, 79, said: “I don’t know if they are real or not.”
No verified evidence has yet confirmed intelligent life beyond Earth.
Interest in UFOs and UAP has surged in recent years amid military sightings and concerns that foreign adversaries could be testing advanced aerospace technologies.
In March 2024, the Pentagon released a report stating it had found no proof that UAP were linked to alien technology, with many sightings explained by weather balloons, spy planes, satellites, or other conventional objects.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
