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President Donald Trump said Thursday he will move to release government records related to aliens, unidentified flying objects and what officials refer to as unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs.
In a post on Truth Social, the president said he plans to instruct federal agencies to begin identifying and declassifying relevant materials.
“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,” President Trump wrote.
The announcement renews attention on an issue that gained prominence during President Trump’s first term, when the Pentagon formally acknowledged the existence of UAPs, the government’s term for unexplained aerial sightings.
It also follows comments earlier this week from former President Barack Obama, who said aliens are “real, but I haven’t seen them.”
“Well, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that,” President Trump told reporters Thursday, adding, “I may get him out of trouble by declassifying.”
In 2020, the Department of Defense declassified several Navy videos showing unidentified objects exhibiting unusual flight characteristics, Newsmax reported. The Trump administration also created the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force to evaluate whether such sightings posed national security risks.
The effort marked the first time in decades that the federal government publicly addressed unexplained aerial encounters in a coordinated manner.
In 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a preliminary report reviewing more than 140 UAP incidents reported by military personnel. The report found no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial activity but said many cases remained unexplained and could present safety or security concerns.
Since then, lawmakers from both parties have called for increased transparency regarding classified UAP programs, alleged crash retrieval claims and research into unidentified objects.
