Trump Orders Pentagon to Release UFO and Alien Files Amid Public Interest

US President Donald Trump has directed the Pentagon and other government agencies to release documents related to extraterrestrials and unidentified flying objects, citing “tremendous interest” in the subject. He instructed officials to include “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters,” announcing the decision on social media Thursday.

The announcement followed Trump’s accusations that former President Barack Obama disclosed “classified information” after claiming on a recent podcast that he believed aliens exist. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump admitted he does not know whether extraterrestrials are real, and suggested he might “get [Obama] out of trouble” by declassifying relevant information.

Obama had told podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen that he considered alien life statistically plausible due to the vastness of the universe, but had not observed any during his presidency. He clarified on Instagram that while life may exist elsewhere, the likelihood of contact with Earth is low and there was no evidence of extraterrestrials visiting during his time in office.