Public fascination with unexplained aerial phenomena is set to collide with official secrecy after Donald Trump said he would instruct U.S. agencies to begin releasing long-sealed records related to UFOs and alleged extraterrestrial encounters.
In a message shared on social media, Trump said the material deserved public scrutiny, describing the subject as both compelling and overdue for transparency. He added that defence and intelligence agencies would be asked to cooperate in making the information public.
Speaking to reporters while travelling, Trump also criticised former president Barack Obama, accusing him — without presenting evidence — of mishandling classified discussions when talking publicly about aliens. Trump said such topics should remain restricted unless officially cleared.
Obama has previously dismissed conspiracy theories while acknowledging the scientific possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. In interviews and online posts, he has said there is no proof of extraterrestrials visiting Earth and denied claims of secret facilities hiding alien evidence.
One of the most enduring myths surrounds Area 51, a highly classified military site long linked in popular culture to alien lore. Declassified intelligence records show the location was primarily used to test experimental aircraft during the Cold War.
Trump later clarified that he himself has not seen convincing proof of alien contact, saying he remains uncertain whether such beings exist at all. Still, he maintained that releasing records would help put speculation to rest.
In recent years, the Pentagon has reviewed hundreds of reports involving unidentified flying objects. Officials have consistently said most sightings were the result of misidentified aircraft, drones or natural phenomena.
A major defence report published last year concluded that decades of investigations had uncovered no evidence of extraterrestrial technology or crashed spacecraft, despite persistent claims online.
Some historical UFO-related documents are already publicly available through the National Archives and Records Administration, which hosts materials from multiple government agencies dating back to World War Two.
Trump’s directive, if fully implemented, could lead to the most extensive release of UFO-related records in U.S. history — potentially reshaping a debate that has long lived at the intersection of science, secrecy and popular imagination.
