IRIA News

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on February 19, 2026, that he is directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), citing “tremendous interest” in the subject.

Trump made the announcement hours after accusing former President Barack Obama of disclosing “classified information” during a recent podcast appearance in which Obama discussed the statistical likelihood of extraterrestrial life.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I don’t know if they’re real or not,” and added regarding Obama, “I may get him out of trouble by declassifying.”

Trump elaborated in a post on his social media platform, stating that he would direct “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 move comes amid renewed public and political attention to the issue of unidentified aerial phenomena, a subject that has periodically resurfaced in U.S. political discourse over the past decade.

"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… pic.twitter.com/3fKQ7wrSvi

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 20, 2026

Obama’s Comments and Political Response

Obama’s remarks, made during a weekend podcast appearance, were later clarified. He said he had not seen evidence that aliens “have made contact with us,” but added, “statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there.”

Trump suggested that Obama’s comments could have touched on classified matters, though he did not provide details. Pressed further by reporters, Trump said he does not hold a firm view on the existence of extraterrestrials. “I don’t have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it.”

Speculation intensified after Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, said on a podcast that the president had prepared a speech on aliens that he would deliver at the “right time.” The White House appeared caught off guard.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded with a laugh when asked about the claim, saying, “A speech on aliens would be news to me.”

The political reaction has cut across party lines. Senator John Fetterman praised Trump’s remarks, calling the potential release of files “incredible” and suggesting it could represent a rare moment of bipartisanship.

“I remember growing up on ‘The X-Files,’” Fetterman said in a television appearance. “Now, if he’s going to release all of the X files, I think that could be a bipartisan thing to finally realize what’s happening.”

Fetterman also referenced Obama’s comments, saying he agreed that extraterrestrial life likely exists somewhere in the universe. “Now if President Trump is going to release everything, I think that’s fantastic because I think America and the world deserve this,” he added.

Not all lawmakers have been supportive of Trump’s decision. Representative Thomas Massie accused Trump of using the issue as a distraction from other matters, particularly the ongoing controversy surrounding the Department of Justice’s handling of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“They’ve deployed the ultimate weapon of mass distraction, but the Epstein files aren’t going away … even for aliens,” Massie wrote on social media.

Renewed Scrutiny Since 2017

Public interest in UFOs surged in 2017 after former Pentagon and government officials leaked Navy videos of unknown objects to major U.S. media outlets. The footage, which showed unexplained aerial movements captured by military pilots, prompted congressional scrutiny and widespread speculation.

In May 2022, Congress held its first public hearing on UFOs in more than 50 years. Officials at the time said that some of the objects observed, including what appeared to be green triangular shapes above a Navy vessel, were likely drones.

In July 2022, the Pentagon established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) to centralize the collection and analysis of military reports of unidentified aerial phenomena. The office replaced a previous task force and was tasked with improving transparency and coordination.

In 2023, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, then head of AARO, told reporters he had found no evidence “of any program having ever existed as a to do any sort of reverse engineering of any sort of extraterrestrial (unidentified aerial phenomena).”

That statement came amid claims by former military intelligence officer David Grusch, who testified before Congress that the federal government had operated a “multidecade” shadow program to recover and reverse engineer nonhuman technology from crash sites. The Pentagon has denied those allegations.

An unclassified 18-page report submitted to Congress in June 2024 stated that service members had made 485 reports of unidentified phenomena over the previous year. Of those, 118 cases were identified as “prosaic objects such as various types of balloons, birds, and unmanned aerial systems.”

The report emphasized: “It is important to underscore that, to date, AARO has discovered no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology.”

While many cases remain unresolved due to insufficient data, officials have consistently stated that no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial contact has been found.

Transparency, Skepticism, and Public Demand

Trump’s directive, if implemented, would mark the most expansive effort to declassify government records related to UAPs and extraterrestrial life. It remains unclear what specific documents would be released or on what timeline.

The debate reflects a broader dynamic in American politics, where public skepticism about government secrecy intersects with scientific inquiry and national security concerns. Over the past decade, the terminology has shifted from “UFO” to “UAP” in official usage, reflecting efforts to reduce stigma and focus on data-driven investigation.

Despite persistent speculation, conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life or contact has not been publicly revealed. Scientific assessments have generally emphasized the vastness of the universe and the statistical possibility of life beyond Earth, while separating that probability from claims of visitation or recovered technology.

Trump’s announcement has added a new political dimension to an issue that has oscillated between fringe conspiracy theory and formal national security inquiry. Whether the promised declassification results in substantive new information or simply reaffirms previous findings remains to be seen.