Trump directs government to release files on UFOs and aliens

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects.

In a post on his social media platform, Trump said he had instructed officials "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)." He cited "tremendous interest" as the reason for the directive.

The announcement came hours after Trump accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing classified information. Obama had recently stated in a podcast interview that aliens were real, telling podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, "They're real, but I haven't seen them." Obama also said that aliens were not being kept at Area 51 and that there was no underground facility housing them, unless there was "an enormous conspiracy" that had been hidden from the president.

When asked by reporters aboard Air Force One about whether he had seen evidence of non-human visitors on Earth, Trump said, "I don't know if they're real or not." He criticized Obama's comments, saying the former president should not have provided that information. Trump stated that Obama "made a big mistake" and "disclosed classified information."

Trump also suggested that declassifying such documents could create legal problems for him. When asked if he could declassify the information, Trump said, "I could end up in trouble for declassifying things like that." He added that he did not have an opinion on the existence of aliens and had never discussed the topic publicly, though he noted that many people believe in them.