President Donald Trump said he is directing federal agencies, including the Pentagon, to begin identifying and releasing government records related to unidentified flying objects and alien life, citing heightened public interest following recent comments by former President Barack Obama.
In a post late Thursday on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he would instruct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other departments to start the process of making files public concerning “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).”
He described the subject as “extremely interesting and important,” though he did not specify whether classified materials would be included in the release.
The announcement comes days after Obama addressed the question of extraterrestrial life in a podcast interview.
“They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in ... Area 51,” Obama said, adding that he saw no evidence during his presidency of contact with extraterrestrials.
On Sunday, Obama reiterated on Instagram that while the vastness of the universe makes life elsewhere statistically possible, he found no proof of alien visits to Earth.
Trump criticized Obama’s remarks, telling reporters that the former president “made a big mistake” and suggesting he had referenced classified information.
There was no indication in Obama’s comments that classified material had been disclosed.
Support for Trump’s directive emerged from both parties, including Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna and Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who called the decision “fantastic” and said the public deserved transparency.
U.S. defense officials have repeatedly stated that investigations have found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
A 2024 Pentagon report concluded that government inquiries dating back to World War Two uncovered no proof that UFO sightings were linked to alien craft.
Most reported incidents were attributed to misidentified objects such as spy planes, satellites and weather balloons.
The National Archives and Records Administration also maintains collections of records related to UFO investigations, according to its website.