WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump announced on Thursday his intention to direct the Pentagon and various government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). This decision aligns with what he characterized as a "tremendous interest" in these topics among the public.
The announcement came shortly after Trump accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing classified information. This accusation followed Obama’s remarks during a recent podcast where he suggested that aliens might exist. Trump stated, "I don’t know if they’re real or not," and he speculated that declassifying certain information might help Obama avoid trouble regarding his remarks.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump emphasized the significance of the files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and UFOs. He described these issues as "highly complex, but extremely interesting and important" matters, prompting him to seek more transparency in their disclosure.
Obama later clarified that he had not seen evidence of any contact with extraterrestrial beings. He acknowledged, however, that considering the vastness of the universe, "the odds are good there’s life out there." Trump's comments reflected a stance of uncertainty about extraterrestrial visitation, noting, "I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it."
Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, suggested that Trump was preparing to discuss the topic more extensively, claiming he had a speech written on aliens. This assertion was met with amusement by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who stated, "A speech on aliens would be news to me," indicating it was unexpected for the administration.
The public's fascination with UFOs and potential government secrets regarding extraterrestrial life reignited in 2017 when former Pentagon officials leaked Navy videos featuring unidentified objects. This resurgence of interest led to Congress holding its first hearings on UFOs in 50 years in May 2022. Despite some incidents being characterized by officials as likely drones, these hearings underscored a growing curiosity about such phenomena.
In July 2022, the Pentagon established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to centralize the collection of military UFO encounter reports, replacing an earlier departmental task force. In 2023, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, then head of AARO, asserted that there was no evidence of any program dedicated to reverse engineering extraterrestrial technology.
The information released to the public indicated that most military UFO reports remain unresolved. However, among those identified, they were generally classified as benign occurrences. An 18-page unclassified report submitted to Congress in June 2024 detailed that military personnel had made 485 reports of unidentified phenomena within the previous year. Out of these, 118 cases were determined to be "prosaic objects" such as balloons, birds, and unmanned aerial systems.
Importantly, the report reiterated that AARO had uncovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology up to that date, highlighting the ongoing mystery and intrigue surrounding the topic.
