SUMMARY
- Trump orders agencies to review and release UFO files and UAP records
- Move follows renewed political debate over extraterrestrial life
- Pentagon data shows most unidentified aerial phenomena cases remain unsolved
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is directing the Pentagon and other federal agencies to identify and release files related to UFOs and extraterrestrial life, citing what he called “tremendous interest” in the issue.
The announcement came hours after Trump criticized former President Barack Obama over podcast remarks about the statistical likelihood of alien life.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I don’t know if they’re real or not,” referring to extraterrestrials, and added that he may declassify material to clarify past statements.
Trump’s directive reopens a long-running national debate over government transparency on unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, the official term for UFOs.
The issue has gained bipartisan attention in Congress and growing scrutiny from defense analysts.
Public interest surged in 2017 after Navy videos of unknown aerial objects were published by The New York Times and Politico.
In 2022, Congress held its first UFO hearings in five decades. The Pentagon established the All Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, or AARO, in July 2022 to centralize military reports.
In a June 2024 unclassified report to Congress, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said 485 new UAP reports were recorded over the previous year. Of those, 118 were attributed to balloons, birds or unmanned aerial systems.
Sean Kirkpatrick, former director of AARO, told reporters in 2023 that he had seen no evidence of programs conducting reverse engineering of extraterrestrial craft.
“We have found no credible evidence of off world technology,” he said at the time.
Christopher Mellon, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence, said greater disclosure could improve public trust.
“Transparency reduces speculation and allows serious analysis of national security implications,” Mellon said in an interview.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, declined to provide details on the timeline for any releases but said agencies would follow existing declassification procedures.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter in law, suggested earlier this week that Trump was prepared to address the subject publicly, though White House officials said no speech was scheduled.
Any broad release of UFO files would require interagency review to protect classified sources and methods. Defense officials have previously said unresolved UAP cases often involve sensor limitations or insufficient data.
Trump’s order places UFO files and UAP transparency back at the center of federal review, underscoring the enduring public and political interest in whether the government holds undisclosed information about unexplained aerial phenomena.
NOTE! This article was generated with the support of AI and compiled by professionals from multiple reliable sources, including official statements, press releases, and verified media coverage. For more information, please see our T&C.
