Donald Trump said he would direct federal agencies to begin releasing government documents related to aliens and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), citing what he described as intense public interest in the issue.
In a post on social media, Trump said he would instruct Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other agencies to disclose information on what he called an “extremely interesting and important” matter.
Earlier, Trump accused former President Barack Obama of improperly handling classified information related to aliens, though he did not present evidence to support the claim. Speaking to reporters while traveling in Georgia, Trump said it was a “big mistake” and suggested Obama had disclosed information he was not authorized to release.
In an interview released Saturday on the podcast of Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked whether aliens are real. He responded, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in … Area 51.” He added that unless there were an “enormous conspiracy,” there was no hidden underground facility kept from the president of the United States.
Area 51, a classified U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada, has long been the subject of conspiracy theories claiming it houses alien bodies or crashed spacecraft. However, CIA archives released in 2013 identified the site as a testing ground for top-secret spy planes.
There was no indication in Obama’s remarks that he disclosed classified information, and his office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In an Instagram post Sunday, Obama said he saw no evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials had made contact with Earth. He added that while he believes it is statistically possible that life exists elsewhere in the vast universe, the immense distances involved make it unlikely that such life has reached Earth.
Following his criticism of Obama, Trump also said he had seen no evidence confirming the existence of aliens, adding, “I don’t know if they’re real or not.”
