Trump Orders Declassification of UFO and Extraterrestrial Files Following Obama’s Alien Comments

President Donald Trump announced plans to declassify government files related to alien life and unidentified aerial phenomena, citing “tremendous interest” in the subject following recent comments by former President Barack Obama about extraterrestrial existence.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said he would instruct Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and relevant federal agencies to begin identifying and releasing classified information concerning extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

“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,” Trump wrote, adding that these matters were “highly complex, but extremely interesting and important.”

The announcement comes after Obama sparked widespread discussion during an appearance on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast, where he responded to a direct question about aliens by saying: “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them.” Obama later attempted to clarify his statement on Instagram, explaining he was referring to the statistical probability of extraterrestrial life in the universe rather than confirming alien contact with Earth.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump accused his predecessor of disclosing classified information, calling it “a big mistake.”

“He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that,” Trump said. “I don’t know if they’re real or not. I can tell you, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that – he made a big mistake.”

In his clarification post, Obama wrote: “Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens are low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us.”

Obama has previously addressed the topic of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. During a 2021 appearance on “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” he mentioned that upon entering office, he inquired about potential secret studies of aliens and was told none existed. However, he acknowledged the existence of unexplained aerial phenomena.

“There is footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are,” Obama said at the time. “We can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern.”

When asked about Obama’s recent comments, President Joe Biden deflected, suggesting reporters should “ask [Obama] again.”

The UFO disclosure issue has gained significant traction in Washington in recent years. In 2023, Congress passed the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act, and the Department of Defense established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office specifically to investigate such incidents.

Trump’s announcement marks the latest high-profile development in the government’s gradually evolving approach to UFO transparency. For decades, UFO enthusiasts and researchers have pushed for greater disclosure from federal agencies about their investigations into unexplained aerial phenomena.

The Pentagon has released several declassified videos in recent years showing unexplained encounters between military aircraft and unidentified objects, fueling public curiosity and congressional interest in the subject. These releases have helped move UAP discussions from the fringes into mainstream policy conversations.

Whether Trump’s directive will result in significant new information becoming public remains to be seen, but it represents another step in the ongoing shift toward greater government transparency on a topic long shrouded in secrecy and speculation.