US President Donald Trump on Thursday (local time) announced that he would direct federal agencies to begin the process of releasing government documents related to aliens, extraterrestrial life and unexplained aerial phenomena, citing intense public interest in the subject.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would instruct the Secretary of War and other relevant departments and agencies to identify and declassify files linked to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),” describing the issue as “extremely interesting and important.”
Trump Accuses Obama Of Leaking Classified Information
The announcement followed Trump’s sharp criticism of former US President Barack Obama, whom he accused of disclosing classified information by speaking about extraterrestrial life during a recent podcast interview. According to Bloomberg, Trump raised the issue while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.
“He gave classified information; he’s not supposed to be doing that,” Trump said, adding that Obama had made a “big mistake” by discussing the topic publicly. Trump suggested that he could resolve the issue by declassifying the relevant information himself.
When asked directly whether he believed aliens were real, Trump said he had no firm opinion. “Well, 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 said. Trump added that while many people believe in extraterrestrial life, he personally avoids discussing the matter.
'Aliens Are Real!': Ex-President Barack Obama
Obama’s remarks, which sparked the controversy, were made during a podcast interview released last week. The former president said he believed extraterrestrial life exists but stressed that he had never seen any evidence of it during his presidency from 2009 to 2017. “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in… Area 51,” Obama said, referring to the secretive US military facility often associated with UFO conspiracy theories.
Trump’s move to declassify and release government files is expected to reignite public debate around UAPs and UFOs, a subject that has drawn growing attention in recent years amid official acknowledgements of unexplained aerial encounters by military pilots and intelligence agencies.
