Citing “tremendous interest” in extraterrestrial life, the US president made the statement just hours after leveling accusations that Barack Obama had disclosed “classified information”
Donald Trump, the US President, declared his intention to instruct the Department of War and various other agencies to make public government records concerning alien life, citing “tremendous interest.”
Trump stated in a Friday post on Truth Social that the records slated for disclosure would encompass unidentified aerial phenomena and unidentified flying objects, as well as “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”
This announcement from Trump came shortly after he claimed former President Barack Obama revealed “classified information” by implying during a recent podcast that aliens exist.
Last weekend, comments made by Obama went viral following a question from podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen regarding the existence of aliens.
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” Obama stated. “And they’re not being kept in, what is it? Area 51. There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
Area 51 is the name of a classified US Air Force location in Nevada which has, for a long time, been central to conspiracy theories claiming the government performs secret research and houses extraterrestrial technology and materials there.
Trump indicated he would instruct the secretary of war and other officials “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).” He attributed the decision to the “tremendous interest” surrounding the topic, offering no further details.
While addressing reporters on Thursday, Trump remarked, “I don’t know if they’re real or not,” and noted regarding Obama, “I may get him out of trouble by declassifying.”
Later clarifying his position, Obama mentioned he had observed no proof that aliens “have made contact with us,” though he observed that “statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there.”
When questioned about the possibility of extraterrestrial visitors, Trump responded: “I don’t have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it.”
Toward the end of 2024, the Pentagon revealed it had received 757 fresh reports regarding unidentified UAPs from May 2023 through June 2024.
Out of these reports, 21 “merit further analysis” due to “anomalous characteristics and/or behaviors.”